Thousands of protesters marched to the Armenian parliament late on Sunday as their leader, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian tried to step up his month-long campaign for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s resignation, APA reports citing Armenian media.
Riot police did not allow them to get close to the parliament building, sparking bitter verbal exchanges between Galstanian and senior police officers at the scene. Although the tensions eased afterwards, the standoff continued, with the protest leader urging the crowd at midnight to try to approach the building from another direction.
The protesters began the march from the city’s central Republic Square where Galstanian held another massive rally earlier in the day. Addressing supporters rallying there, he announced a “decisive” four-day push for a parliamentary vote of no confidence in Pashinian’s government.
The outspoken archbishop backed by the Armenian opposition demanded that the pro-government leadership of the parliament convene an emergency session for that purpose on Tuesday. He said the ruling Civil Contract party, which controls the National Assembly, must “obey the will of the people.”
“With our presence, we will not allow them to make yet another anti-state mistake,” he said.
“I want to be sure that this crowd standing here commits to enduring various difficulties for the next four days with persistent efforts, an unwavering will and a conviction that we are just few steps away from victory,” added Galstanian.
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