Armenian opposition MP kicks off 14-day march to prevent incumbent president's 'next term as PM'
Nikol Pashinyan, an MP from the “Yelk" opposition faction, is launching a 14-day protest campaign against incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan and his ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) to ‘boycott’ Sargsyan’s third term in office this time as the next prime minister.
The protest march titled “My Step” kicked off on Saturday from Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri, with the Liberty Square in capital Yerevan set as its final stop, he said in a Facebook post.
“The “My Step” campaign aims at preventing [incumbent President] Serzh Sargsyan’s third term in office,” he said.
Pashinyan said the campaign route includes Gyumri, the third largest city of Vanadzor, as well as Dilijan, Sevan, Abovyan and Hrazdyan towns, making apologies to all the towns they will not cross.
Over the course of 14 days, the participants of the campaign will overcome around 200 kilometres and take nearly 300,000 steps to reach the Liberty Square in downtown Yerevan where they will hold a rally at 6:30 p.m. on April 13.
Serzh Sargsyan is ending his third presidential term in April. Armenia will switch to the parliamentary system of government in April, according to the new constitution adopted in referendum in 2015. The president will have mostly ceremonial role, with the real executive power vested in the prime minister.