Protests in Armenia open new stage in country's political life

The protest movement in Armenia has become a transition to a new stage of the country's political life, said the Armenian political expert interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot". According to their forecasts, demands to change the power, or a decline of opposition's activeness should follow. However, the experts are sure that they see the interest of the authorities in all that.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that since June 19 Armenia hosts mass protests against the authorities' decision to raise the electricity tariff. The largest action was held in Bagramyan Avenue in Yerevan.

According to Amayak Ovannisyan, Doctor of Political Sciences and the President of the Association of Political Scientists of Armenia, the greatest achievement of the protest movement was a "rapid awakening of the youth", and the climax thereof – the refusal of protesters on June 27 to follow some activists from Bagramyan Avenue to Freedom Square, "when it turned out that people were able to exhibit courage and determination."

In his opinion, "this situation revealed a total failure of the government; their inability to solve not only social issues, but also security ones." The political scientist is also sure that the authorities are not going to cancel the decision to raise the electricity tariff.

According to Andrias Gukasyan, a political scientist and Director of the "Radio-Ai", the authorities are interested in protest actions, in order to show the West that the country has some political freedom; and people are free to express their opinions.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.