Armenian People Gained Victory: Sargsyan Resigned

The Prime Minister of Armenia resigned on the 11th day of peaceful protests.

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan has resigned. The corresponding decision was officially made public on Monday, April 23.

Sargsyan admits in his official statement that he leaves his post because of street protests. "I fulfill your demand," – Sargsyan states to the people of Armenia.

"I address you as head of state one last time. Nikol Pashinyan, the leader of the protest, is right. I’ve made a mistake. The situation, being what it is, has several solutions, but I draw the line at any of them. That's not mine. I am leaving the post of the head of our country," – the prime minister says in the statement.

The resignation has become the result of the 11-day peaceful mass protests in Yerevan and other cities of the country.

Mass rallies, demonstrations and processions, beginning from April 13, have been conducted by the My Step movement headed by the head of the parliamentary faction of the Elk bloc, Nikol Pashinyan. On Sunday, April 22, Sargsyan started negotiations with Pashinyan, but then destroyed the dialogue after the oppositionist stated that they had gathered there only to discuss Sargsyan's resignation.

An hour and a half after the incident, Pashinyan was arrested. Protest moods, however, continued unabated and even intensified.

On April 22, a most massive rally against the rule of Serzh Sargsyan was held in the center of Yerevan, it was attended by 160 - 200 thousand people.

In the morning of Monday, April 23, the mass protests throughout Armenia continued, soldiers from the peacekeepers' brigade and other units joined them in Yerevan.

On Monday afternoon, Pashinyan was released, and after 2 hours, Sargsyan announced about his resignation from the post of prime minister.

Sargsyan was "elected" head of the government on April 17 this year, after two presidential terms. Just before, changes in the country's constitution were adopted, which expanded the powers of the prime minister and actually meant Sargsyan's coming to power for a third term.

The changes in the constitution initiated mass protests in Armenia.