23:55, 1 December 2015

"New Armenia" announces non-stop rally in Yerevan

A participant of the rally in Yerevan, 02.12.15. Inscription on a poster: "No!" Photo by Tigran Petrosyan for the "Caucasian Knot"

In Yerevan, members of the opposition march have returned to Freedom Square and announced the start of an indefinite sitting picket. The activists asked the authorities for permission to install tents on Freedom Square. However, their request was dismissed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that today, Freedom Square has hosted a rally against constitutional reforms, after which opposition supporters marched through the main streets of the city. In the course of the march, the activists have clashed with the police, and additional law enforcement forces, including special forces, were accumulated in the centre of Yerevan.

The today's protest actions in Yerevan were organized by front "New Armenia", founded on October 12. It includes a number of opposition movements and parties. Supporters of the "New Armenia" protest against the constitutional reform project, which will be put on the referendum on December 6. According to the project, under the new system of government, the president of the country will be elected for a seven-year term by the Armenian Parliament.

According to Andreas Gukasyan, a member of the politician board of the "New Armenia", the major demands of the opposition include the cancellation of the referendum on constitutional reforms, the dismissal of the current government, and the conduction of independent and free elections. The activist has stressed that the opposition will act peacefully and that they do not intend to make any concessions.

Garegin Chugaszyan, Chairman of the "Founding Parliament", has called the today's events "a chance to consolidate the opposition."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Armine Martirosyan

Source: CK correspondent