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Armenian Opposition Protests Continue Despite Concessions From Gover

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  • Armenian Opposition Protests Continue Despite Concessions From Gover

    ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PROTESTS CONTINUE DESPITE CONCESSIONS FROM GOVERNMENT
    Lilit Gevorgyan

    Global Insight
    June 1, 2011

    A number of Armenian opposition parties united under the Armenian
    National Congress (HAK) held a previously announced protest in the
    Armenian capital Yerevan on 31 May. Nearly 6000 demonstrators took
    to the streets demanding extra-term parliamentary and presidential
    elections. HAK leader and former Armenian president Levon
    Ter-Petrossian said at the demonstration that they will continue
    demanding early elections to change the government of current
    Oresident Serzh Sargsyan but he added that the change will be only
    through peaceful means. He likened the events in Armenia to the Arab
    Spring revolutions although he emphasised that the Armenian one will
    be a step-by-step process of change.

    Significance:The demonstration comes only three days after the
    Armenian parliament, on the initiative of President Sargsyan,
    pardoned around 2,000 prisoners as part of the 28 May Independence
    Day celebrations. As a result of the amnesty all 10 Armenian political
    prisoners have been released, a gesture that the government hopes will
    improve Armenia's standing with European human rights institutions
    and also mitigate tensions with the opposition. While this is
    an important concession, it is unlikely that the current ruling
    coalition will agree to early elections. The opposition remains
    deeply divided as there is lack of dialogue between HAK and one
    of the most influential traditional Armenian parties, the Armenian
    Revolutionary Federation Party (HYD). Furthermore there is apathy
    among the wider electorate that would prefer a new political force
    rather than return to Ter-Petrossian's rule if there is a change
    of government. Furthermore, since the collapse of the Soviet Union
    in 1991, Armenia has been locked in a deadly war with neighbouring
    Azerbaijan over the Armenian-populated self-declared republic of
    Nagorno-Karabakh. HAK has also acknowledged that Armenia cannot afford
    internal destabilisation as this may trigger neighbouring Azerbaijan
    to launch a new war, as publicly declared on a number of occasions
    by Azerbaijani leaders in recent months. The Armenian opposition is
    likely to continue with its protests but to see any tangible results,
    it has to first unite all anti -government forces.


    From: Baghdasarian
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