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It takes more than enthusiasm and outrage to reach success, Director of Caucasus Institute, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan said referring to the rallies staged in Yerevan against a hike in electricity tariffs.

He told a press conference today that from the very beginning the protests had many shortcomings such as “the lack of ideas, texts, slogans, a methodology, technologies, and the absence of leaders and a hierarchy”. “A social movement is unable to influence politics if it has no leaders and hierarchy,” he noted.

As for the lack of leaders and a hierarchy, the political scientist said they could have been formed in the process, but demonstrators hindered that opportunity themselves.

Iskandaryan said there was no split among rally participants, although there is much talk about it in the past few days. “There was no split among the protesters because rally participants were not united from the very beginning,” he said.

According to Iskandaryan, people often follow a social slogan since an increase in the social burden hits everyone in the pocket and it is easier to rally people in such cases.

There are no similarities between the current events in downtown Yerevan and the Euromaidan movement in Ukraine, the political scientist said noting that it is hard to predict further developments on Bagramyan Avenue, and several scenarios are possible.

As was reported, on June 28 demonstrators against the power tariff hike divided into two groups after blocking Bagramyan Avenue in central Yerevan for over a week. The presidential residence, the Armenian parliament, Constitutional Court, and several embassies are located on that avenue. Following the statement made by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on June 27, the organizers of the rally attended by thousands – members of ‘No to Robbery’ civic initiative called on protesters to leave the avenue and return to Liberty Square nearby. Yet some of the demonstrators refused to leave. Police warned several times that they plan to open the street so normal traffic could resume in the city.