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Protesters break into mayor’s offices in Armenian cities

The protestors demand that the heads of local administrations join the opposition

YEREVAN, May 2. /TASS/. Supporters of Armenian opposition on Wednesday broke into the buildings of mayor’s offices in Gyumri and Maralik, in the country’s northwest.

The protestors demand that the heads of local administrations join the opposition. Local news portals, including 1in.am, are broadcasting the events online.

"We demand that Mayor of Gyumri Samvel Balasanyan join the opposition movement," one of the protest leaders, Levon Barsegyan, told TASS, stressing that all government buildings in the city are controlled by the opposition.

A similar situation is in Maralik where the demonstrators have broken into the mayor’s office and are chanting anti-government slogans.

Earlier on Wednesday, several hundreds of students blocked Yerevan’s central streets and a highway connecting the city with the airport.

Since April 13, opposition’s widespread protests have gripped Armenia. On April 23, Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan tendered his resignation in the wake of protests. First Deputy Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan was appointed as the acting prime minister.

On Tuesday, Armenia’s parliament rejected opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan’s bid to become prime minister. Pashinyan was backed by 45 lawmakers but failed to obtain 53 seats he needed to have a majority. After that he called on his supporters to launch large-scale civil disobedience actions.

The next vote in the parliament on a new prime minister is scheduled for May 8.

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