ANC rally starts in Yerevan

 May 31, 2011 - 19:19 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - A rally of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) has started at Liberty Square of Yerevan.

The action has brought together several thousand people, a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reported from the scene.

Leader of the Armenian National Congress Levon Ter-Petrossian and other ANC representatives have already arrived at the rally site.

The Armenian opposition held its previous rally on May 28. The Armenian authorities for the first time allowed the radical opposition to hold its rally in Liberty Square of Yerevan after the March 1-2, 2008, events. The number of rally participants reached 6,000 that was less compared to previous opposition rallies. The rally was followed by a procession through Yerevan streets.

After it, opposition supporters returned to Liberty Square, demanding continuation of the protest action with a sit strike. However, leaders of the opposition Armenian National Congress managed to persuade people to leave the square, urging them to gather again on May 31. Leaving Liberty Square, many rally participants stated they will never join an opposition rally in future.

It is expected that the May 31 action will bring together greater number of participants, due to Pashinyan’s and Mikaelyan’s participation in it. However, opposition supporters state that the roads leading to Yerevan are again close; the Traffic Police make contrary statements.