June 26, 2015
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Demonstrators danced and sang on the Armenian capital's main avenue Friday as a protest against a hike in electricity prices continued for a fifth straight day.
Hundreds of protesters gathered on the road, separated from police by a barricade of large trash containers. Others sheltered from sweltering heat under roadside trees and umbrellas. Following Monday's unsuccessful attempt to end the protest by force, authorities have taken a wait-and-see approach and police didn't interfere with the demonstrations.
There was no end in sight, however, to the worst unrest the ex-Soviet nation has seen in years as the government rejected the protesters' demand to reverse the price hike. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan hasn't yet commented on the situation. He has offered to meet with the protest leaders, but they have refused.
Sargsyan's premier said the government will not roll back the hike and offered compensation to the poorest families, a proposal the demonstrators angrily dismissed. Despite the tough stance taken by the government so far, independent analysts expect authorities to eventually compromise.
Armenia's power grid is controlled by a Russian electricity giant, and other Russian companies own key industrial assets in the nation of 3 million. Armenia also hosts a Russian military base and is a member of Moscow-led security bloc and an economic alliance.
Some Russian politicians have raised suspicions that the West was behind the protests, allegations that angered the demonstrators. The Kremlin, however, has steered clear of such claims. On Friday, the protest looked more like a party than a political protest, with mostly young demonstrators singing and dancing.
Protest organizers made demonstrators keep the avenue clean and kept alcohol away. Armen Antonian, one of the rally organizers, dismissed comparisons with protests in Ukraine that ousted a Russia-friendly president.
"We came here dancing, and we will leave dancing too," he said.
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Demonstrators danced and sang on the Armenian capital's main avenue Friday as a protest against a hike in electricity prices continued for a fifth straight day.
Hundreds of protesters gathered on the road, separated from police by a barricade of large trash containers. Others sheltered from sweltering heat under roadside trees and umbrellas. Following Monday's unsuccessful attempt to end the protest by force, authorities have taken a wait-and-see approach and police didn't interfere with the demonstrations.
There was no end in sight, however, to the worst unrest the ex-Soviet nation has seen in years as the government rejected the protesters' demand to reverse the price hike. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan hasn't yet commented on the situation. He has offered to meet with the protest leaders, but they have refused.
Sargsyan's premier said the government will not roll back the hike and offered compensation to the poorest families, a proposal the demonstrators angrily dismissed. Despite the tough stance taken by the government so far, independent analysts expect authorities to eventually compromise.
Armenia's power grid is controlled by a Russian electricity giant, and other Russian companies own key industrial assets in the nation of 3 million. Armenia also hosts a Russian military base and is a member of Moscow-led security bloc and an economic alliance.
Some Russian politicians have raised suspicions that the West was behind the protests, allegations that angered the demonstrators. The Kremlin, however, has steered clear of such claims. On Friday, the protest looked more like a party than a political protest, with mostly young demonstrators singing and dancing.
Protest organizers made demonstrators keep the avenue clean and kept alcohol away. Armen Antonian, one of the rally organizers, dismissed comparisons with protests in Ukraine that ousted a Russia-friendly president.
"We came here dancing, and we will leave dancing too," he said.
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