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Andreas Ghuksyan, a candidate who ran in the 2013 Armenian presidential election, considers August 1st as the date of a logical conclusion of the rallies against a rise in power tariff.

The decision on the tariff rise is to take effect on August 1. If it is not revoked, in fact, demonstrators and Armenian citizens will have no other way of appealing it, the politician said at a press conference today.

The Armenian police removed eralier today, on July 2, water cannons and armored personnel carriers from Bagramyan Avenue in downtown Yerevan where a rally against the electricity tariff hike is continuing. “We considered it expedient to do it today,” Deputy Chief of Yerevan police Valery Osipyan told reporters. When asked if riot control vehicles could be deployed again tomorrow,” V. Osipyan replied: “Each day requires a specific approach”. As regards the question of whether the police rule out using force, Osipyan said: ‘This is allowed by law, but as you can see, nothing is being done”.

On July 1 the Armenian police issued a statement urging the rally organizers and participants to show common sense, respect the Constitution, laws, rights and legitimate interests of others and voluntarily unblock Bagramyan Avenue.