YEREVAN. – Changes were made in Tuesday’s events that were planned in Armenia’s capital city Yerevan. Opposition Heritage Party Secretary Stiopa Safaryan stated this during a press conference on Wednesday, and added that, instead of the rally that was scheduled to be held at Liberty Square at 6pm, a march was staged because that was what the people demanded.      

In Heritage representative’s words, a part of the people decided to march, together with the party chairman, former FM Raffi Hovannisian—who was declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of the presidential election that was conducted on February 18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote—, along the Yerevan streets that were blocked, but since the people themselves had been surrounded, different groups remained blockaded in variety of places.    

Safaryan stressed that Hovannisian did not leave the people on their own on Baghramyan Avenue; it is just that a part of the people did not hear his announcement, whereas another part wished to stay there.  

In his words, no one had declared Tuesday, April 9 as a day of coup, or taking control of the Presidential Residence.  

Safaryan also informed that the authorities had inserted provocateurs among the people, and these provocateurs were making calls for shedding blood and some of them were even inebriated. 

As for Hovannisian visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial together with Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan, Stiopa Safaryan noted that Raffi Hovannisian had gone to the memorial together with the people, whereas Gasparyan had simply accompanied him.  

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am