Hundreds detained as Armenians demand PM's resignation

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‍Hundreds of people, including three opposition leaders, were detained on Sunday in Yerevan as protesters took to the streets for the 10th day in a row to demand the resignation of Armenia’s newly appointed Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

Protesters accuse the 63-year-old of clinging to power in the landlocked South Caucasus nation of 2.9 million people, after parliament made him prime minister this month following a stint of 10 years as president.

Sarkisian, on the other hand, says his country needs him and that his party enjoys large-scale popular support.

In the biggest political crisis in a decade, tens of thousands of his opponents have marched through Yerevan, blocking streets and staging sit-ins, in generally peaceful protests over the past week.

Law enforcement officers detain a man at a protest rally against the appointment of ex-president Serzh Sarkisian as the new prime minister in Yerevan, Armenia, April 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

On Sunday however, at least 200 people were arrested as security forces used stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

Among the detained were protest leader Nikol Pashinyan who had earlier called for a nationwide campaign of "civil disobedience," urging civil servants "to stop obeying Sarkisian."

Pashinyan and two other opposition lawmakers "were detained as they were committing socially dangerous acts," the prosecutor general's office said in a statement.

Why are people protesting?

– A "power grab": The president cannot serve more than two terms but Sarkisian put forward a controversial reform in 2015 handing the main powers to the prime minister, and after ending his presidential term last week, was nominated as premier by the ruling party.

Opposition supporters see this as a power grab by the former military man, and analysts have described it as an unprecedented attempt to remain in office.

Demonstrators attend a protest against former president and new Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian in Yerevan, Armenia, April 19, 2018. /VCG Photo

– Poverty: Protesters have accused Sarkisian of failing to reduce poverty while giving oligarchs the upper hand in the economy. The poverty rate in Armenia was 29.8 percent in 2016 compared to 27.6 percent in 2008 when Sarkisian became president, according to the World Bank.

– Corruption: The protesters, who come from different backgrounds, also denounce rampant corruption in Armenia's judicial system and the police as well as the education system.

Stormy talks

Before his arrest, Pashinyan held talks on Sunday with Sarkisian, in which he asked for the president’s resignation.

The tense televised meeting lasted only a couple of minutes however before Sarkisian stormed out, accusing Pashinyan of "blackmail."

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian (L) stands before leaving a televised meeting with anti-government protest leader Nikol Pashinyan (R) in Yerevan, Armenia, April 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

International reaction

Amid continuing protests, the EU on Sunday called for more dialogue and a peaceful resolution to Armenia’s crisis.

"All those who have been detained while exercising their fundamental right of assembly in accordance with the law must be released immediately," it said in a statement.

"It is of utmost importance that all parties involved show restraint and act responsibly."

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of protesters defied a police warning and filled central Yerevan's Republic Square again on Sunday evening, an AFP journalist at the scene reported.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters