Armenia Risks Further Unrest After Protest Leader Is Rejected as PM
- Result means snap election if repeat vote next week also fails
- Russia has a military base located in the ex-Soviet republic
People gather at Republic Square in support of opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, Armenia on May 1, 2018.
Photographer: Hayk Baghdasaryan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan failed in his attempt to become prime minister after the ruling Republican party refused to back his candidacy despite massive street demonstrations backing him.
Pashinyan, who’s termed the protest movement a “velvet revolution,” gained 45 votes, eight short of the majority he needed to become premier in place of Armenia’s longtime ruler, Serzh Sargysan, who resigned last week as tens of thousands joined opposition demonstrations. The result means parliament will vote again in a week. A repeat of the result would trigger early elections. In the meantime, further civil unrest is likely.