The Rallying Call

I attended another rally today in Freedom Square in protest of the recent presidential elections. Several people gave speeches criticizing the ruling regime, calling for true democracy in the country, and celebrating the "victory" of the people. This latter refrain was repeated throughout, referring to Raffi Hovhannesian being the true winner of the presidential elections, as well as the notion that the people voting for him and attending his rallies have broken the stereotype of Armenian citizens as hopeless and apathetic.

Raffi's speech seemed to suggest that the movement was going to be a prolonged one, as he asked the audience if they were ready to stick it out with him in the long haul. He also asked the crowd whether they thought he should submit his case to the Constitutional Court and whether they should present to the people his administration's future governmental posts. 

It was also announced that a commemoration of the March 1st events would be held by Raffi tomorrow, which the Armenian National Congress has joined onto, and that a concert would be held on Saturday in Liberty Square, where Raffi promised to reveal where his movement would be going.

If the momentum generated by Raffi's campaign can be transformed into a healthy, unified, and sustained opposition to the regime, these election developments have the potential to be a positive turning point for the country. There is definitely a rising tide of civic discontent displayed by the turnout at the rallies across the country.

But it would do well to remember that it's not the first time this has happened. Presidential elections in Armenia from 1996 to 2008 have seen even larger outpourings of protest with not much of an effect. It remains to be seen what action will come out of these developments and if the crowd gathering can be turned from spectators to organized and active citizens of change. I certainly hope that will be the outcome.

My sense is that even the people at the rallies are getting impatient with speeches. Everyone is eager to see what the next steps will be. 

Meanwhile, following the rally, a group of university students involved in the recent
4-day student strike held a public meeting in the square about how they would move forward with their initiative. They discussed their agenda and then opened the floor for people, both young and old, to speak their mind. Again, the overriding criticism expressed by speakers from the crowd was that there was no long-term plan or clearly expressed end goal of the campaign.