YEREVAN, December 11. /TASS/. Armenia’s Interior Ministry has warned the protesters on Yerevan’s Freedom Square about the responsibility for violating public order.
"Any attempts to destabilize the situation in public places will be prevented by adequate actions dictated by the situation, and those who organize and commit legal wrongs will be brought to justice prescribed by law," the ministry said. It noted that "the police continued to receive information" about attempts "to provoke clashes with police officers during the rallies held these days." According to the Interior Ministry, "some of the organizers of the rallies are actively working with supporters from among young people with a view to provoking the use of force by the police." "By resorting to illegal actions, they are trying to give publicity to the protests and cast a shadow over the proportionate actions by the police," the ministry said.
The New Armenia Front of National Salvation movement that unites the opposition has been conducting the round-the-clock picketing on Freedom Square since December 6. It believes that the preliminary results of the December 6 referendum on the Constitutional reform, which envisages, in particular, the country’s transition to the parliamentary system of government, have been falsified and that violations had occurred during the elections. The opposition demands declaring the results of the plebiscite invalid.
Tonight , the opposition plans to hold "a crucial nationwide rally" to demand the resignation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.
According to the preliminary results of the voting, the majority of Armenians spoke out in favor of the transition to the parliamentary system of government. The Central Election Commission is due to publish the final results of the referendum on December 13.