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For some days protests have been ongoing in Armenia (aka Hayastan) regarding the continuance in power Serzh Sargsyan. This member of the Armenian 'Rebuplican Party' had served two times as President - the limit by law so sought a fix that would allow him to continue in power. Around 2016 he proposed that Armenia should become a Parliamentary led democracy instead of a Presidential led democracy as it had been. He publicly denied having any ambitions on the the Prime Ministership of course. Well all went through with much ballot rigging and bribery - referendums and votes were overcome and Armenian became a Parliamentary democracy. Guess who was elected as PM? Brother Serzh naturally. This was 11 days ago or so. Well to most Armenians it was pretty clear it was a fix from the start but seeing it so blatantly unfold in front of them was a bit too much - as it had been for the Muscovites when Putin's fix became clear in 2011. They took to the streets;
The self proclaimed 'leader' of this protest - an opposition MP called Nikol Pashinyan saying he wanted a "velvet revolution" (harking back to the peaceful overthrow of the old commies in what was then Czechoslovokia in 1989).
Yesterday Sargsyan and Pashinyan met - allegedly for "talks" but they got nowhere - Sargsyan walked out (there is a youtube video but it won't let me post it for some reason).
Shortly after the failed meeting Pashiyan and some of his senior supporters and some 200/300hundred other protests were arrested (there is video of this too).
Today some of the army was marching with the protestor and then out of nowhere comes a statement from Sargsyan that he will resign - his Mother having died two days before - and hand over to the deputy (and former) PM Karen Karapetyan.
The self proclaimed 'leader' of this protest - an opposition MP called Nikol Pashinyan saying he wanted a "velvet revolution" (harking back to the peaceful overthrow of the old commies in what was then Czechoslovokia in 1989).
Yesterday Sargsyan and Pashinyan met - allegedly for "talks" but they got nowhere - Sargsyan walked out (there is a youtube video but it won't let me post it for some reason).
Shortly after the failed meeting Pashiyan and some of his senior supporters and some 200/300hundred other protests were arrested (there is video of this too).
Today some of the army was marching with the protestor and then out of nowhere comes a statement from Sargsyan that he will resign - his Mother having died two days before - and hand over to the deputy (and former) PM Karen Karapetyan.
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