YEREVAN. – The “[Hands] out of our pocket” citizens’ initiative of Armenia will hold a car rally on Sunday in capital city Yerevan.
The car rally will be held in support of the demonstrators staging a sit-in at Baghramyan Avenue, and against the recent decision to raise the price of electricity in the country.
Initiative member Vardan Hakobyan stated the abovementioned at a press conference on Thursday.
“We want to engage wider layers [of society] in this struggle,” said Hakobyan.
Members of the “[Hands] out of our pocket” initiative are confident that some forces are not politicizing this movement because no political force is attempting to lead it, and everyone trusts the youth that guide this movement.
On June 22, numerous people—led by the “No to Plunder” initiative—staged a protest at Baghramyan Avenue, and demanded the revoking of the decision to raise the price of electricity in the country. In the morning of June 23, however, the police forcibly dispersed this sit-in. Since the evening of the same day, however, the demonstrators have resumed the sit-in at the avenue.
Despite numerous protests, the Public Services Regulatory Commission recently increased the price of electricity in Armenia by 6.93 drams—instead of 17 drams, proposed by the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) Company—, per cubic meter, and this decision will take effect on August 1. But the decision is expected to be followed by an increase in the prices of numerous products and services in the country.
President Sargsyan, however, stated that the government will cover this price hike until an audit is conducted at the ENA, which supplies electricity to the country’s residents. Sargsyan also said he does not rule out returning the company to the Armenian government and transferring it to competitive management, if the audit shows that the aforesaid increase in electricity prices is unjustified.
