Armenia’s prime minister, Serzh Sargsyan, resigned on April 23 following days of massive street protests.
Residents of the Armenian capital, Yerevan, poured out on the streets to celebrate after Mr Sargsyan announced his resignation in an online statement. “The street movement is against my tenure. I am fulfilling your demand,” the statement said.
Hundreds of uniformed soldiers had earlier joined anti-government demonstrators, the 11th consecutive day of protests over an alleged power grab by Mr Sargsyan, a former president of Armenia who amended the country’s constitution in order to transfer more power to the country’s prime minister, only to take the job himself.
Prior to Mr Sargsyan’s resignation, and apparently yielding to opposition pressure, police released Nikol Pashinyan, a protest leader and opposition MP who had been arrested alongside hundreds of demonstrators on April 22 in an attempt to crush the demonstrations. Until his release, Mr Pashinyan’s whereabouts had been unknown.
“Nikol! Nikol!” chanted protesters draped in Armenian flags as they marched in Yerevan. Tens of thousands of protesters had gathered in the city’s Republic Square at the weekend in one of the country’s largest demonstrations in years.
[…] will meet on May 8 in order to elect an interim prime minister. The post has been vacant since large protests forced Serzh Sargysan to resign on April 23. Mr Sargsyan, a former president of Armenia, amended the country’s constitution in […]
[…] April, widespread protests forced the former prime minister Serzh Sargysan to resign. Mr Sargsyan, a former president of Armenia, amended the country’s constitution in order to […]
[…] A block of parties allied to Prime Minister Nicol Pashinyan has won municipal elections in the Armenian capital Yerevan. The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Armenia announced that the My Step Alliance received 81 per cent of the votes in the election held on September 24. Its candidate, the well-known Armenian actor Hayk Marutian is now set to become mayor of Yerevan. According to many analysts, the election was the first major electoral test of the new government, which took office earlier this year following a peaceful revolution. […]
[…] is facing its most severe political crisis since April, when widespread protests forced the former prime minister Serzh Sargysan to resign. Armenians are now back on the streets, answering the call of the country’s new prime minister, […]
[…] to enhance respect for human rights,” said Mr Pashinyan, who took office a year ago following the ousting of Serzh Sargsyan in a peaceful […]
[…] president-turned-prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was kicked out of office in a popular revolt. He was replaced by Nikol Pashinyan, whose My Step electoral alliance would […]
[…] Pashinyan, who took office in 2018 the wake of widespread protests that forced the resignation of his predecessor, Serzh Sargsyan, now faces a battle to cling on to power. Protests are likely to continue, and 17 opposition […]
[…] dominated by the Republican party of former PM Serzh Sargsyan, blocking his programme of reform. Mr Sargsyan was deposed earlier this year following huge street protests against his increasingly authoritarian […]
[…] taking office (ironically as a result of mass street protests against an authoritarian government), Pashinyan – who styled himself as a “street […]