Current Protests Cannot Be Compared to 2018 Protests, Says Gagik Melkonian

The protests of 2018 were nationwide and cannot be compared to the current or any other movements, said Gagik Melkonian, a member of the ruling "Civil Contract" faction, in an interview with NEWS.am.

According to him, at that time, the people were engaged in a "liberation struggle," striving to rid themselves of the ruling powers. "Back then, no one thought the government would change. Prior to that, protests took place in 2008, 2003, and 2015, but nothing was achieved. The 2018 protest was a popular movement, which means the participation of no less than 200,000 people. If we also consider the regions, it reached 500,000," he asserted.

He believes that the current situation cannot be compared to what happened in 2018, also because now "the authorities are strengthening the foundations of the state." Melkonian added that another difference between the current protests and those of 2018 is that they are not blocking the roads for those heading to hospitals.

"I don't care who has become a candidate for Prime Minister from the 'For Tavush' movement. What matters is what is happening in the country," Melkonian noted.

He suggested that if the 'For the Homeland' movement cannot advance the candidacy of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Tavush Diocese, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, then another candidate will be proposed. "But that doesn't matter. The main thing is that everything happens within the framework of the law. They should only place their hopes on the elections in 2026 and work to ensure that their supporters do not dwindle," the parliamentarian emphasized, expressing confidence that the members of the movement aim to gain power and will not stop at anything.

He is convinced that the number of participants in yesterday's rally has sharply decreased compared to the rally on May 9. "But when the leader of the 'For the Homeland' movement presented his candidacy for the Prime Minister’s position, he already felt like he was leading the government and was giving instructions," Melkonian speculated.

The representative of the ruling party expressed confidence that the movement is for the sake of another state that supports it. The parliamentarian recalled that Russian Channel One reported yesterday that more than 100,000 people took to the streets. "We must do everything for our own state, rather than for the interests of another state," he concluded.