On Tuesday, electoral arithmetic defeated democratic sentiment in Armenia after the Republican Party of Armenia, the majority party, used its numerical strength to back a discredited government and block the election of the opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as the new prime minister. A chorus of defiant honks expressing the collective angst filled the streets of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, as the disappointing result became public. Tens of thousands of people had been singing and chanting at the Republic Square near Parliament throughout the day in support of Mr. Pashinyan’s election. Mr. Pashinyan, a former crusading journalist and opposition leader, had led the massive protests against the government in April, which culminated in the resignation of the former president and prime minister, Serzh Sargsyan.
The opposition leader has called upon his supporters to continue civil disobedience and block roads, railways and airports.
A power grab by Mr. Sargsyan, who was president from April 2008 to April 2018, triggered the demonstrations that united the fragmented opposition and brought together university students, programmers, teachers, cabdrivers and workers.
Full Article: Opinion | Democracy Is Held Back in Armenia – The New York Times.