Epress.am News from Armenia
The “No Front,” an alliance of a number of Armenian opposition parties and civic groups, among them -Armenian National Congress (ANC) and Zharangutyun (Heritage), held their first rally on Friday, September 25, against the constitutional amendments project initiated by President Serzh Sargsyan in the country’s second largest city of Gyumri.
During his speech at the rally ANC parliamentary faction secretary Aram Manukyan accused the police of cutting off the electricity supply of the organizers’ equipment. “[Gyumri mayor] Samvel Balasanyan, police chief, you know this won’t last forever. [The organizers] have applied [to the municipality], and the rally is sanctioned. Why would you unplug the wires?” the MP asked.
In reality, the opposition lawmaker went on, Serzh Sargsyan only has the support of the powers that be since no ordinary citizen would ever wish that Sargsyan continued to rule the country.
“Sargsyan’s initiated constitutional changes destroy the entire system of government, and violate human rights provisions. The leaders of a country which is currently in a state of war want to move to a parliamentary system [of government], leave the country without a supreme commandar, only to realize Sargsyan’s dream of an eternal rule,” Manukyan stated.
The MP recalled that yesterday, September 24, "Azerbaijani forces, without officially declaring war," shelled a number of Armenia’s northeastern border villages: “Please, tell me, have you seen or heard any reaction from Sargsyan? Can you imagine such a thing? A country gets shelled by [an adversary], and the President is nowhere to be seen.”
We need a President, not a “Serzh,” the oppositionist added, calling on those gathered to come together and fight against the constitutional amendments with joint efforts.