(27 Apr 2018) The lawmaker behind the protests that forced Armenia's longtime leader to resign took his campaign to the country's second-largest city Friday, aiming to marshal nationwide support ahead of a crucial vote in parliament.
More than 10,000 people gathered in Gyumri for an evening rally with opposition leader Nikol Pashinian held hours after his planned talks with Armenia's acting prime minister were called off.
Pashinian, a newspaper editor and member of the Armenian National Assembly, and acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetian were to have met at noon to discuss the political crisis that has gripped the landlocked former Soviet nation.
Karapetian's office announced Friday morning that it cancelled the talks because Pashinian was "dictating the agenda".
In Gyumri, Pashinian remained firm in his demand that he be named head of government when the parliament meets Tuesday.
Pashinian's protest movement holds just a fraction of seats in parliament, while Karapetian's party has a majority.
Karapetian was Armenia's prime minister until his ally, President Serzh Sargsyan, had to step down because of term limits and parliament voted him in as prime minister.
Sargsyan stepped down Monday after six days in his new post following more than a week of anti-government protests triggered by what the ex-president's critics saw as a brazen move to extend his rule.
The opposition wants a transfer of power that would ensure that Sargsyan's allies would not be part of the new government so he could not pull the strings behind the scenes.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
