Tens of thousands of people joined nationwide protests in Armenia, blocking roads and government buildings, after the parliament failed to elect opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as the country’s interim prime minister.
The ruling Republican Party voted against Pashinyan during a special parliamentary session on Tuesday, deepening a political crisis after two weeks of anti-government protests.
Following the vote, Pashinyan called for a nationwide peaceful campaign of civil disobedience.
Protesters on Wednesday paralysed Yerevan by blocking some routes into the capital and the road to the airport.
A sector-wide strike was also announced, with airport staff, construction workers, medical staff, university students and professors joining the protests.
There are also reports of regional government offices in Armenia’s second-largest city of Gyumri being blockaded.
Local media reported that protesters were opening the roads for ambulances, police and the military to not harm the security of the people and the country.
Source – AL-JAZEERA