In a heated address after the vote, Pashinyan said a nationwide strike in Armenia would be held starting Wednesday. He called on people to block the streets, airports and railway stations, adding that the protests would be peaceful. Pashinyan also urged the police to put down their shields and join his movement.

Earlier in the day, the National Assembly of Armenia failed to elect Pashinyan, the only candidate in the vote, for the post of prime minister.Forty-three out of the 105 parliamentarians had supported Pahinyan, while he needed 53 votes to get elected. Lawmakers of the ruling Republican Party voted against the opposition leader's candidacy, despite his warnings of a "political tsunami" in case he wasn't elected.

Pashinyan, who has been at the helm of the weeks-long rallies in Armenia, has slammed the ruling party for its decision, calling it an "insult to the people."

The vote was held amid protests in Armenia that have been ongoing for several weeks. Media reported that about 20,000 people took to the streets of the country's capital, Yerevan, on Tuesday. The massive rallies started after the opposition protested against the nomination of ex-President Serzh Sargsyan as the head of the government. The opposition feared that after two terms as the president, Sargsyan was attempting to stay in power.

Sputnik

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