“We can only rejoice with the activeness, which is manifested by the young people gathered in Baghramyan Avenue. They are trying to solve a problem which is not only theirs, but also all of us”, said Chairwoman of Social Democrat Hnchak Party, also an NA MP, Lyudmila Sargsyan, in the interview with Aravot.am, referring to the days-lasting fight against the electricity tariff hike, which is getting more crowded day by day. The second say of the sit-in, after the attempts of the police to dispel the protest by the use of water cannon and force, Ms. Sargsyan was also among the people who had formed a “living wall”. She believed that every violence used by the authorities will lead to a stronger reaction because the Avenue is becoming more crowded every day. “I hope that despite everything, the authorities will realize the seriousness of the moment. It will understands that the demand is righteous. The problem is not just the 7 drams. The youth and the political forces that follow the process conducted by the youth make a demand for justice. How long should our country be plundered by various organizations and no one would be responsible for it? Should be price hike be justified, and there would be no issue with looting, poor management, excessive staff, and salaries, then it is somehow possible to tolerate the price hike. But, in this case, people have come out to the streets by fair demand and our task is to protect them from all kinds of illegal activities,” said our interlocutor.
Today, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan announced that there will be no tariff revision and had presented the substantiations. The MP is aware of the Prime Minister’s statement, “Given the capabilities of today’s budget, the Prime Minister may say something like that. But, in my opinion, the issue is not only economic, but also political and social. The solution should be political. I expect that the opinion voiced by the government is not final. The government authorities, I hope, will realize the gravity of the moment, as if the problem is not resolved urgently, meeting the just demands of the young people, this process can be evolved into an uncontrollable situation. Today, the government authorities, in fact, are standing naked and face to face with the public. There are no political forces in the midst with whom it was possible to somehow alleviate the situation. This is a unique situation for Armenia, which is not political, but it can evolve into a political process, for which the government authorities will pay a higher cost.”
Nelly GRIGORYAN
