ANC: As before, Serzh Sargsyan took office, surrounded by barbed  wire, police cordon and protest of thousands of demonstrators

ArmInfo.The Armenian National Congress (ANC) requires the authorities to act solely within the framework of the law, to refrain from unlawful violence and harassment towards participants in peaceful actions, to respect the freedoms of citizens.

According to the statement of the party, on April 17 "Serzh  Sargsyan's election" to the post of prime minister took place in the  National Assembly of Armenia. "As in the first two terms of his  tenure, and this time he took office, surrounded by barbed wire, a  police cordon and protesting thousands of demonstrators," the  statement said.

According to the ANC, once again the main reason for the tension is  the program for the extension of his power to Serzh Sargsyan for a  third term, for the implementation of which the referendum of the  Constitutional reforms of 2015 and the elections to the National  Assembly of 2017 were falsified, and which the people of Armenia  rightly perceive as undisguised attempts to perpetuate the  dictatorship.

Thus, the ANC continues, the vicious chain of illegitimate power  formation is not interrupted in Armenia, which is accompanied by a  rejection of the people's free will, which threatens any prospect of  the country's development. State institutions, therefore, do not  receive the confidence of the people, are not accountable to it and  instead of serving national interests, continue to serve the goal of  enriching a group of people. As a result, emigration does not stop,  poverty does not triumph, the country's defense capacity weakens,  which is especially dangerous in the face of the worst external  challenges. "In such conditions, there is a natural outrage of the  public, and especially of young people, who do not see any prospects  for their future," the ANC notes.  In this state, the ANC requires  the authorities to act solely within the law, to refrain from  unlawful violence and harassment against participants in peaceful  actions, and to respect the freedoms of citizens. 

The Congress also considers the use of disproportionate force by the  police, in particular, the use of sound grenades that cause shrapnel  wounds, which have proved their danger to the life and health of  citizens, is also unacceptable. "The people of Armenia will never  reconcile with the establishment of a dictatorship, and the struggle  for democracy will be consistently continued until the final  victory,"ANC sums up.