Civil protests in Armenia signal birth of leftist ideology – expert

PanARMENIAN.Net - Recent civil protests in Armenia, including the struggle for Mashtots park, protests over military doctor Vahe Avetyan’s beating death at Harsnakar restaurant, signal a birth of leftist ideology in the country, Caucasus Institute director believes.

As Alexander Iskandaryan told a news conference in Yerevan, Armenia’s civil activists are mimicking the behavior of classic “New Leftists” in Europe or Latin America.

The expert noted a struggle for ecology, protest against demolition of old buildings, demands for social justice among the civil activists’ main goals.

“Though the country’s leadership might agree to compromise where the activists’ demands don’t threaten the country’s political system I doubt for the civil movement to grow into a serious political force before presidential poll,” Iskandaryan said.

The expert warned against comparing protests in Armenia with the Arab Spring. “The revolts can’t be characterized as a common occurrence, with different countries having different motifs behind the uprisings,” the expert concluded.