Holding Armenian flags and chanting “Armenia without Serzh!” protesters filled Yerevan’s main square after lawmakers backed the candidacy of the Kremlin-supported veteran politician with 77 to 17 votes.
His second and final term as president ended last week.
The opposition denounced the vote — which made Sargsyan Armenia’s top leader under a new parliamentary system of government — saying the 63-year-old lacked popular support.
“Sargsyan lacks legitimacy and has earned the hatred of Armenians,” Pashinian told the rally.
Earlier in the day he announced “the start of a peaceful velvet revolution in Armenia,” and called on supporters to “paralyse the work of all government agencies.”
“We must not allow Armenia’s transformation into an autocratic country where the same man remains in power for an indefinite time,” 23-year-old student Karen Mirzoyan, told AFP at the rally.
Another protester, 38-year-old Roza Tunyan, said Sargsyan “lied to Armenians and broke his earlier promise not to become prime minister after his presidential term expires.”
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