2013 Armenian presidential election protests

2013 Armenian protests
Raffi Hovannisian addressing the crowd at Yerevan's Freedom Square on 22 February 2013. Clash between the protesters and the police on Baghramyan Avenue on 9 April 2013. Protests in front of the Yerevan City Hall on 23 July.
Date	19 February – 23 December 2013 (10 months and 4 days)
Location	Armenia: Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, and almost every major cities and towns Armenian diaspora: Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Brussels
Causes	alleged electoral fraud during the 18 February 2013 presidential election, corruption, monopoly, inflation, unemployment, increase in public transportation fare
Goals	resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan Improvements in public transport with less cost to the population not joining the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia cancellation of the gas deal with Russia
Methods	demonstrations, sit-ins, hunger strike, student protest, online activism, civil disobedience
Result	Peaceful protests suppressed on 9 April Public transportation fare increase canceled on 25 July due to protests Police stopped a violent march on the Presidential Palace on 5 November
Parties to the civil conflict
Political opposition Heritage Dashnaktsutyun Civil opposition Pre-Parliament Hayazn Various groups Armenian government Armenian police Yerevan Municipality Ruling parties: Republican Party Rule of Law
Lead figures
Raffi Hovannisian Nikol Pashinyan Armen Martirosyan Andrias Ghukasyan Jirair Sefilian Tigran Khzmalyan Paruyr Hayrikyan Shant Harutyunyan Serzh Sargsyan (President) Tigran Sargsyan (PM) Hovik Abrahamyan (Parliament Speaker) Taron Margaryan (Mayor of Yerevan) Vladimir Gasparyan (Police Chief)
Number
9 April: 12,000–"tens of thousands"
Casualties
Detained	20 (5 November) 110+ (2 December)

External video

Չեմ վճարելու 150 դրամ: A video by Armenian celebrities and public figures showing solidarity to the protesters

Armenia: Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, and almost every major cities and towns

Political opposition

Armenian government

Yerevan Municipality

Ruling parties:

Various political and civil groups staged anti-government protests in Armenia in 2013. The first series of protests were held following the 2013 presidential election and were led by the former presidential candidate Raffi Hovannisian. Hovannisian, who, according to official results, lost to incumbent Serzh Sargsyan, denounced the results claiming they were rigged. Starting on 19 February, Hovannisian and his supporters held mass rallies in Yerevan's Freedom Square and other cities. On 10 March, Hovannisian started a hunger strike, calling elected President Sargsyan to resign before 9 April, the inauguration day. Hovannisian called "for the solution of this unprecedented pan-national fundamental issue before April 9." During an interview on 18 March 2013, Sargsyan said he would not visit Hovannisian and described his claims as "arrogant phrases seasoned with obscenities". Sargsyan was inaugurated on 9 April 2013, while Hovannisian and thousands of people gathered in the streets of Yerevan to protest it, clashing with the police forces blocking the way to the Presidential Palace. Hovannisian's movement was dubbed "Barevolution", a portmanteau of barev (բարև, "hello") and revolution, referring to Raffi Hovannisian's habit of walking up to people and greeting them during the election campaign.