TO THE STREETS

Armenian Prime Minister Resigns After 11 Days of Protests

“The street movement is against my tenure. I am fulfilling your demand,” he wrote in a statement.

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan has announced he’ll step down after 11 days of mass protests against him. Police arrested opposition leader and parliament member Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday, which angered many demonstrators. Pashinyan was released soon after, due to the backlash. “Nikol Pashinyan was right. I was wrong. The situation has several solutions, but I will not take any of them. That is not mine. I am leaving office of the country’s leader, of prime minister,” Sargsyan said in a statement. “The street movement is against my tenure. I am fulfilling your demand.” The protests were sparked by Sargsyan’s decision to take the PM role after serving a decade as the country’s president, and shortly after changes were made to the presidency to give the post more power.