Armenian Revolutionary Administration Marks 100th in Office with a Huge Rally
On the 14th of August, in a live facebook video, Nikol Pashinyan called on the people of Armenia to celebrate the victory of the Velvet Revolution by listening to and attending the report of recent developments in the country by the government in Republic Square, Yerevan on August 17th.
On August 16th, Armenia's second president Robert Kochayan, who has been charged with breaking the constitutional order during the events on March 1st, 2008 gave an interview. This interview followed attempts to hold a press conference which were made unsuccessful by a group of activists who entered the conference hall. This interview triggered an unprecedented number of people to attend the proposed meeting in the square on August 17th. Again, many of the streets in downtown Yerevan were closed off as people from different towns came to the capital. The large rally began at around 18:30 with a tribute to Armenia's national anthem.
Nikol Pashinyan called the 100th day of the victory of the Velvet Revolution a renaissance of democracy and an extraordinary event where the police, the army, and the people of Armenia were more united than ever. At the same time, there were numerous posters with slogans and pictures against Armenian second president Robert Kocharyan, Armenian third president, and resigned prime minister Serj Sargsayan. Nikol Pashinyan asked the crowd to put down all posters with messages of negativity and focus instead on the day as one of national unity of Armenians.
He stated that the biggest achievements in Armenia during the first 100 days of his administration could be seen through the fight against corruption, economic growth (despite different predictions), and the decreasing number of people leaving Armenia. He also discussed the possibility of creating transitional courts so address the relationship between Armenian judges and the former corrupt governing system. With these actions, Pashinyan promised to return money hidden in offshore accounts to Armenia. In terms of foreign policy, he claimed the allegations that Armenian-Russian relations were bad were 'simply comedic' and pledged Armenia would also work to deepen its relations with the EU and the United States. Pashinyan also spoke about the need to strengthen the institution of referendum in Armenia and create a new economic model.
The large rally, which, just as the revolution, looked more like a festival with electronic music, ended with the lyrics of the song "Im Qayle" (My Step). The song, written by Nikol Pashinyan, has become the anthem of the Velvet Revolution.
