Armenia, where democracy staged a comeback: Washington Post

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia is one of the three countries alongside Ethiopia and Peru where democracy actually staged a comeback in 2018, according to The Washington Post.

"Armenia has experienced a similarly dramatic turnaround. When President Serzh Sargsyan, already in office for a decade, staged a power grab by changing the constitution and becoming prime minister, the journalist-turned-activist Nikol Pashinyan leveraged the people’s anger to drastically change the country’s direction. Pashinyan led a massive march followed by crippling demonstrations, paralyzing the country until the parliament — which had named Sargsyan prime minister — finally relented. The nonviolent people power of Armenians forced Sargsyan to resign and persuaded legislators to name Pashinyan prime minister. But the biggest shift was still to come," the Publication says.

"A week ago, Armenians elected a new parliament, handing Pashinyan’s bloc an astonishing 70 percent of the vote. The previous ruling party, Sargsyan’s Republicans, didn’t even manage the 5 percent minimum required to enter parliament. Bolstered by the vote of confidence, Pashinyan has now launched a comprehensive anti-corruption campaign aimed at cleaning up the system of government."

Armenia has also been named the country of the year by The Economist, which means that it has improved the most in the world in the past 12 months.

Earlier, TIME magazine included Pashinyan among the four crusaders who are keeping the dream of democracy alive and who have fought to defend democracy in their countries.