According to local media reports, on Wednesday morning the demonstrators have already paralyzed the main streets of the capital Yerevan. The subway is also stopped. According to reports, the staff of Yerevan airport also joined the strike.
The “candidate of the people” failed in parliament at the votes of the ruling party. The opposition leader Pashinyan had put himself forward to be the head of state on Tuesday in the parliament, but only 45 MPs voted for him. The 42-year-old would have needed 53 of the 105 votes. According to the constitution, the parliament must now re-vote within a week. Without a winner, there will have to be new elections. Already during the poll, tens of thousands of people had peacefully gathered in front of parliament.
Pashinyan, who calls himself the “candidate of the people”, was the only candidate for the post. However, the ruling Republican Party, which dominates parliament, refused to approve. Without the votes of this party, no new head of government can be elected.
Pashinyan had mobilized tens of thousands of supporters in recent weeks and forced Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan to resign. The opposition speaks of a “velvet revolution.” The protests had erupted because Sargsyan was elected prime minister after ten years as president. The protesters accuse Sargsyan and his Republican party of being responsible for corruption and poverty in the 2.9 million-strong country in the South Caucasus.
In foreign policy, Pashinyan maintains cooperation with both Russia and the EU, as he emphasized in the debate. Against the hostile neighbor Azerbaijan, he has announced a tough course in the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh area.