YEREVAN: Tens of thousands of Armenians converged on the capital on Wednesday, blocking key transport links and government buildings, as popular anger exploded over the ruling party’s rejection of opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan’s bid to become prime minister.

In an unprecedented show of defiance, protesters including elderly people, pupils and even housewives paralysed Yerevan, with streets closed to traffic, and the subway and numerous stores shut.

The poor, Moscow-allied nation was plunged into its most serious political crisis in years last month when mass demonstrations led by Pashinyan forced the resignation of longtime leader Serzh Sarkisian.

Crowds of protesters across the city Wednesday waved national flags, blew vuvuzelas and shouted “Free, independent Armenia!”, turning a new day of rallies into a street carnival.

Suburban train services were disrupted and the road linking Yerevan with its airport was blocked, forcing travellers to drag their luggage on foot.

Protesters said they would persist for as long as it takes to oust the ruling elites from power to rid the country of poverty and corruption.

In parliament, lawmakers could not convene for a session due to the absence of a quorum, with the Prosperous Armenia party declaring a boycott over “an emergency situation in the country.” Lawmakers will try to elect a prime minister next Tuesday. If they fail again, the legislature will be dissolved and early elections called.

In Gyumri — which hosts a Russian military base — and the smaller town of Maralik, demonstrators burst into the mayor’s offices, demanding the local authorities join the protest movement.

Acting head of government Karen Karapetyan urged talks to end the crisis. “A prime minister should only be elected in parliament according to the constitution,” he said.

Pause in strike for talks with ruling party

Pashinyan called a pause in a campaign of civil disobedience while he seeks assurances that the ruling party will back him to be the next prime minister.

With tens of thousands of Pashinyan’s supporters gathering for a rally in the capital, Yerevan, the head of the ruling Republican Party in parliament, Vahram Baghdasaryan offered what appeared to be an olive branch.

He told reporters that when parliament votes on who will fill the vacant prime minister’s post, his party will not put forward its own candidate and will back whoever is nominated. So far, Pashinyan is the only nominee.

Baghdasaryan did not say explicitly, though, that this meant his party would back Pashinyan, a 42-year-old former journalist who has spent time in jail for fomenting unrest and accuses the ruling elite of corruption and cronyism.

If the Republican Party does back Pashinyan in the vote, due to take place on May 8, it would mark a dramatic shift in power in Armenia, where the same cadre of people have dominated since the late 1990s.

The standoff is being watched closely by Russia, which sees Armenia as a close ally and is wary that it could go the same way as Ukraine in 2014, where an uprising swept to power new leaders who pulled the country out of Moscow’s orbit.

In a sign that cracks are appearing within the ruling elite, acting Culture Minister Armen Amiryan resigned, according to his spokeswoman. She said protesters came to his ministry, and after meeting them he came outside and announced he was quitting.

By evening, blockades on roads outside the centre of the capital had been lifted in line with instructions from Pashinyan to his supporters to suspend their action once darkness fell.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2018