Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Armenia on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, much criticized since the defeat in a war with Azerbaijan for control of Nagorno Karabakh.
Gathered in front of a large police presence in a square in the center of Yerevan, the capital, the protesters chanted "
Armenia without Nikol
" and "
Nikol is a traitor
", according to an AFP journalist on the spot.
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"
Our dream is that of a strong and powerful motherland, and the only obstacle that hinders this goal is Nikol Pachinian,
" Ichkhan Saghatelian, leader of the opposition party Dashnaktsoutioun, told the crowd.
"
We will not stop, we will get rid of Pachinian,
" he said.
Nikol Pachinian has been under pressure from the opposition since the Armenian defeat in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, which on November 10 resulted in a cessation of hostilities agreement granting significant territorial gains to Baku in this mountainous area of the Caucasus disputed for decades.
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The opposition, which denounces the prime minister as a "
traitor
", demands his resignation and has organized several demonstrations and strikes in recent months.
Nikol Pachinian, who came to business as a result of a peaceful revolution in 2018, has so far resisted popular pressure.
