Protesters have demanded the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and opposition lawmakers have walked out of parliament as pressure mounts against the embattled politician.
After blocking major roads in the capital Yerevan, demonstrators rallied outside parliament to voice their discontent while Pashinyan was speaking inside.
Protesters brandishing tricolour Armenian flags shouted "Armenia without Nikol!" and "Leave!," according to video from the scene.
Police arrested some of the protesters and security officials warned them against trying to storm the parliament building.
The opposition walkout came as Pashinyan was delivering a fiery speech.
"You run like you always run," he shouted at MPs leaving the session, while his supporters clapped.
Pashinyan has faced heavy criticism since Armenia was defeated by Azerbaijan in a six-week war in 2020 and lost significant territory in and around the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinyan said he had been compelled to accept a Russian-brokered peace deal, which prompted a wave of protests, to avoid greater human and territorial losses.
with reporting from AP
Australian Associated Press
https://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/story/7725250/protesters-demand-armenian-pm-resign/?cs=13239