2018 Armenian Revolution
The 2018 Armenian Revolution, most commonly known in Armenia as #MerzhirSerzhin (Armenian: #ՄերժիրՍերժին, meaning "#RejectSerzh"), was a series of anti-government protests in Armenia from April to May 2018 staged by various political and civil groups led by a member of the Armenian parliament — Nikol Pashinyan (head of the Civil Contract party). Protests and marches took place initially in response to Serzh Sargsyan's third consecutive term as the most powerful figure in the government of Armenia, later broadening against the ruling Republican Party, who were in power since 1999. Pashinyan declared it a Velvet Revolution (Armenian: Թավշյա հեղափոխություն).
| 2018 Armenian Revolution (Velvet Revolution) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 31 March – 8 May 2018 (1 month, 1 week and 1 day) | ||
| Location | Armenia Armenian diaspora: Los Angeles, Glendale, California, Moscow, Milan Marseille, Toronto, Montreal, Sochi, Brussels, Vancouver, Athens, London, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Chicago, São Paulo | ||
| Caused by |
| ||
| Goals |
| ||
| Methods | Demonstrations, sit-ins, student protest, civil disobedience, online activism, boycotts of business, general strike | ||
| Resulted in | Protester victory
| ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Lead figures | |||
Nikol Pashinyan MP (detained from 22 to 23 April) Serzh Sargsyan (ex-president, resigned Prime Minister) | |||
| Number | |||
| |||
| Casualties and losses | |||
| |||
On April 22, Pashinyan was arrested and held in solitary confinement overnight, then released on April 23, the same day that Sargsyan resigned, saying "I was wrong, while Nikol Pashinyan was right". The event is referred to by some as a peaceful revolution akin to revolutions in other post-Soviet states. By the evening of April 25, the Republican Party's coalition partner, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, had withdrawn from the coalition.
By April 28, all of the opposition parties in Armenia's parliament had announced they would support Pashinyan's candidacy. A vote was scheduled in the National Assembly for May 1; for Pashinyan to be elected Prime Minister, which required 53 votes, he would have had to win the votes of at least six members of the Republican Party. Pashinyan was the only candidate who was put forward for the vote. However, the Republican Party unanimously voted against Pashinyan – 102 MPs were present, out of which 56 voted against his candidacy and 45 voted for it. One week later, on May 8, the second vote took place. Pashinyan was elected Prime Minister with 59 votes.
The revolution was seen as an opportunity for Armenia to realign its foreign policy in the European direction. The revolution contradicted Russian policy, as it opposed the notion of the irreplaceability of post-Soviet leaders and posed a threat to authoritarianism in the post-Soviet space. The revolution in Armenia was deemed "European" in nature as it corresponded to European values and principles, both societal and political. The revolution signaled a significant shift in Armenia's domestic politics, with pro-Russian politicians being ousted from power and a reformist government taking their place. The change brought about a reevaluation of Armenia's relations with Russia. The reformist government sought to distance itself from Russia's aggressive tactics and realign Armenia with the Western values of democracy and human rights.