Armenian opposition leader Nikol
Pashinyan has suspended nationwide protests after the governing
Republican Party indicated it would support his bid to be interim prime
minister.
The demonstrations brought much of Armenia to a standstill on Wednesday.
Mr Pashinyan told supporters that the party's position needed clarifying but protests would be suspended for a day.
Republicans blocked Mr Pashinyan's bid to become prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Tuesday.
In
a statement on Wednesday, the party did not mention Mr Pashinyan by
name but said they would back a candidate nominated by a third of MPs at
next week's vote in parliament. It said it would not put forward its
own candidate, leaving Mr Pashinyan as the only nominee.
"All factions said they would support my candidacy... We are suspending protests and going to have a rest."
Mr Pashinyan has led weeks of anti-government protests that forced Serzh Sargsyan to resign after 10 years in power.
On
Tuesday, he called for a general strike after Republican Party MPs
refused to back him in the vote for interim prime minister.
What happens now?
Parliament is due to hold another extraordinary session on 8 May to try to elect an interim prime minister.
Mr
Pashinyan said he would formally submit his candidacy on Thursday and
called on supporters to hold a huge rally on Tuesday to "seal our
victory".
Earlier, he told the BBC that protesters were fighting for their rights and dignity.
"I
want to be clear, it isn't a fight for Nikol Pashinyan becoming prime
minister, it's a fight for human rights, for democracy, for rule of law
and that is why our people aren't tired and won't be tired," he said.
How bad was the disruption?
Protests
broke out across Yerevan and other main cities on Wednesday with cars
and lorries blocking roads, while demonstrators stopped traffic on the
route to the main airport.
Tourists had to abandon vehicles and
carry their luggage. Metro stations in Yerevan were closed as part of
the campaign of disobedience.
Entrances to several ministry
buildings in Yerevan were blockaded and rail services were disrupted.
Trains were not running between Yerevan and the second city, Gyumri, and
checkpoints near the Georgian border were affected.
There was further disruption in Gyumri itself and in
the third city Vanadzor, where a large crowd of protesters blockaded
the mayor's office and other civic buildings. Three thousand workers
from a local sewing factory walked out and cut off some of Vanadzor's
biggest roads, reports said.
During the day Mr Pashinyan posted a
message on social media, urging protesters to halt disruption at the
airport, while other opposition politicians appealed to people not to
impede emergency services. Police tried to move protesters off the roads
but there was no sign of violence.
What led up to the crisis?
Mr Sargsyan left the presidency last month
after 10 years in power and was then elected prime minister by a
parliament controlled by his Republican party. Under a 2015 referendum
marred by irregularities, Armenia shifted powers from the president to
parliament.
Mr Sargsyan's move was seen by critics as a way of clinging to office.
Who is Nikol Pashinyan?
The son of a sports teacher, Mr Pashinyan came to
prominence in 1995 when he began writing about government corruption. He
founded a newspaper three years later and went on to take the role of
editor at a best-selling daily, which criticised the government of
President Robert Kocharyan and then of President Sargsyan.
When Mr
Sargsyan was elected president in 2008, Mr Pashinyan was among the
leaders of protests that turned violent and left 10 people dead. At that
point he went into hiding, surrendering to authorities the following
year.
Jailed the following year on charges of murder and organising mass unrest, he was eventually released under an amnesty in 2011.
In 2012, he was first elected to Armenia's parliament. He argues that only he can steer Armenia to free and fair elections.
His critics accuse him of bringing chaos to the streets and question his ability to lead as prime minister.
No comments:
Post a Comment