Leader of Armenia’s Civil Contract opposition party and lawmaker Nikol Pashinyan stated that he is launching a peaceful people’s velvet revolution in Armenia and called on people to protest against the nomination of former President Serzh Sargsyan as candidate for prime minister the republic.
"A revolutionary situation is brewing across the country. Demonstrators are blocking streets and transnational highways in the cities of Gyumri, Ijevan, Vanadzor, Kapan and Metsamor. People are not going to work, mass strikes have begun," he said, speaking in Yerevan’s France Square.
According to him, it is necessary to continue to show flexibility, continue the network struggle, rule out any use of force against law enforcement forces, but paralyze the work of all state structures throughout the country.
"We will now march to the government buildings to block their work, we will hold sit-ins inside or outside the buildings," ARKA cited Pashinyan as saying.
Pashinyan and other protesters marched from France Square in central Yerevan to block the building of the Prosecutor General's Office.
The Armenian parliament is holding a special meeting where the country’s new prime minister is due to be elected. The only candidate is former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. The radical opposition is holding a mass march, all downtown streets in the capital city have been paralyzed.
