Armenia bracing for new anti-govt. protest

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

A strong demand for regime change in Armenia may prepare the ground for next stormy protest rally in the country aimed at ousting the incumbent authorities.

An opposition group called Before Parliament Initiative intends to gather people on the streets to topple Armenia's ruling regime.

"The so-called opposition should realize this fact that it is impossible to change the existing khanate system through elections. So, we have decided to use other ways for regime change," said Jirayr Sefilyan, Secretary Coordinator of the initiative.

Armenian presidential election in February 2013 was marked with blatant violations, fraudulence and deception. Amnesty International called on the Armenian authorities to investigate the human rights violation facts in the election. The organization received numerous reports of harassment including allegations of intimidation and use of force against voters and observers. In some cases, the Armenian authorities failed to provide adequate protection and to conduct prompt and proper investigation into violations.

Sefilyan said they planned to establish a parliamentary foundation by April 24, 2015 to form an interim government to rule the country amid transitional period.

"We intend to raise a strong protest wave in Armenia to force the authorities surrender the power. Hope that there will be no skirmish. But this time the people will response the violence with violence," Sefilyan noted.

Public dissatisfaction with Sargsyan regime is on the rise in Armenia. Economic disability of the post-Soviet country and lack of essential political decisiveness have despaired the residents pushing them to get rid of the incumbent authorities. Most people in Armenia found it unbearable to live in the country, which fueled the emigration and resulted in the outflow of nearly 60,000 people this year.

Meanwhile, cars of the four members of the Before Parliament Initiative group were set on fire in Yerevan on November 26.

Automobiles of Shagen Petrosyan, Vardan Akopyan, Varujana Avetisyan and Susanna Melkonyan were deliberately burned in unknown circumstances.

Earlier on October 19, 2014, the members of the Before Parliament Initiative group attended a large auto marching "The 100th anniversary without regime" on their own cars. The aim of the auto march was to convince Armenians not to believe in Serzh Sargsyan, criminal oligarchs and fake opposition party leaders, calling them "different heads" of the same regime. Marching organizers called on people to stand up and come out into the streets to remove the regime and create a new quality national state by the date of commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the so-called "Armenian genocide" on April 24, 2015.

Armenian opposition troika of the oppositional Heritage, Armenian National Congress and Prosperous Armenia parties staged consecutive rallies on September 30, October 10 and October 24 calling for a regime change.

Tens of thousands of protesting residents voiced their disagreement with the domestic and foreign policy of the incumbent regime, as well as compressed justice and violated human rights in the country.

The recent events in Armenia happened on the background of Armenian parliament's ratification of an agreement on joining the Eurasian Economic Union on November 26.

The permanent parliamentary commission on economy sanctioned the agreement with 5 votes in favor of a document following the president's and the Constitutional Court's approval.

Parliament will discuss final ratification of the agreement on December 1.