Armenia's leader quits amid protests, saying 'I was wrong'

Serzh Sargsyan, who ruled Armenia for 10 years, resigned Monday as prime minister after thousands of people poured into the streets to protest his political maneuvering to cling to power in this former Soviet republic.

The stunning development touched off jubilation in the capital of Yerevan, with car horns blaring and people dancing, hugging and waving the tricolor Armenian flag. The opposition called for a meeting with the acting prime minister to discuss a "peaceful transfer of power."

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 22, 2018, former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, left, leaves a meeting with protest leader Nikol Pashinian, right, in Yerevan, Armenia. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan has resigned, according to his website. (Hrant Khachatryan/PAN Photo via AP)

Yerevan residents celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday, an apparent move to bring to an end massive anti-government protests. (Karo Sahakyan/PAN Photo via AP)

Yerevan residents celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday, an apparent move to bring to an end massive anti-government protests. (Karo Sahakyan/PAN Photo via AP)

Sargsyan, 63, was president of the Caucasus mountains nation from 2008 until term limits forced him out in March. But parliament, which is controlled by his party, voted to reduce the powers of the presidency and give them to the prime minister, ultimately installing Sargsyan in that post last week.

The move echoed a maneuver a decade ago by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenia's closest ally. Leaders of other former Soviet republics, from Belarus to Central Asia, have similarly extended their terms.

The parliament's action had triggered massive anti-government protests in Yerevan since April 13, with demonstrators blocking government buildings and facing off with police. A rally on Sunday attracted about 50,000 people, and about 200 soldiers joined the protesters on Monday.

People celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday, an apparent move to bring to an end massive anti-government protests. (Grigor Yepremyan/PAN Photo via AP)

People wave the Armenian national flag as they celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday, an apparent move to bring to an end massive anti-government protests. (Grigor Yepremyan/PAN Photo via AP)

People celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday, an apparent move to bring to an end massive anti-government protests. (Grigor Yepremyan/PAN Photo via AP)

Protest leader Nikol Pashinian met Sunday with Sargsyan, who walked out of the session after Pashinian refused to talk about anything but the prime minister's resignation. Pashinian was later arrested but abruptly released on Monday.

In his surprise resignation announcement posted on his website, Sargsyan said he should not have resisted the opposition's demands.

"Nikol Pashinian was right. I was wrong," Sargsyan said. "The movement on the streets is against my rule. I'm complying with their demands."

The government quickly named former Prime Minister Karen Karapetian as acting prime minister. A Sargsyan ally, he also was mayor of Yerevan and worked in Russia for five years as a top executive of the state-controlled gas giant Gazprom.

Pashinian told an evening rally of tens of thousands of people at Republic Square in Yerevan that opposition activists want to meet with Karapetian on Wednesday to discuss a "peaceful transfer of power."

People celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday, an apparent move to bring to an end massive anti-government protests. (Grigor Yepremyan/PAN Photo via AP)

Armenian protest leader Nikol Pashinian, center, march with other demonstrators celebrating Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday, an apparent move to bring to an end massive anti-government protests. (Grigor Yepremyan/PAN Photo via AP)

People celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday to quell massive anti-government protests over what critics feared was his effort to seize power for life. (Hrant Khactaryan/PAN Photo via AP)

The opposition will push for an early parliamentary election to prevent Sargsyan from running Armenia from behind the scenes, Pashinian said.

Alexander Iskanderian, director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan, said the protests pushed Sargsyan into a corner:

"The protests in the past couple of days have swelled to a point that you either had to use violence or find another way out," Iskanderian told The Associated Press.

People celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday to quell massive anti-government protests over what critics feared was his effort to seize power for life. (Hrant Khactaryan/PAN Photo via AP)

People celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday to quell massive anti-government protests over what critics feared was his effort to seize power for life. (Hrant Khactaryan/PAN Photo via AP)

People celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday to quell massive anti-government protests over what critics feared was his effort to seize power for life. (Hrant Khactaryan/PAN Photo via AP)

Russian officials and state television have been cautious in commenting on the political crisis in Armenia. In the past, Moscow has decried anti-government rallies and so-called "color revolutions" in neighboring post-Soviet nations as examples of hostile Western interference.

In what appeared to be the first official Russian reaction, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova lauded Sargsyan's decision as a move to unify the nation.

"The people who have the strength to keep respect toward each other despite crucial differences and stay united even in the most difficult moments of its history is a great people," Zakharova wrote on her Facebook account. "Armenia, Russia is always with you!"

A man waves an Armenian national flag celebrating Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly on Monday to quell massive anti-government protests over what critics feared was his effort to seize power for life. (Hrant Khactaryan/PAN Photo via AP)

People celebrate Armenian Prime Minister's Serzh Sargsyan's resignation in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, April 23, 2018. Sargsyan resigned unexpectedly Monday to quell massive anti-government protests over what critics feared was his effort to seize power for life. (Hrant Khactaryan/PAN Photo via AP)

When Sargsyan switched to the prime minister's job, his ally Armen Sarkisian, a former prime minister and ambassador to Britain, was elected president. Sarkisian was seen as an unofficial Sargsyan appointee.

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Several thousand Georgians marked Orthodox Easter with a candlelight vigil outside Parliament on Saturday evening as daily protests continue against a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.

The proposed bill would require media, non-governmental organizations and other nonprofits to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

Protesters and the Georgian opposition denounce it as “the Russian law,” saying Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent journalists and those critical of the Kremlin.

Demonstrators crowded along a broad avenue in Tbilisi late Saturday, clutching Georgian and EU flags, as a small choir sang Easter songs and activists bustled about distributing food, including hand-painted eggs and traditional Easter cakes.

Unlike at mass rallies earlier in the week, which met with a heavy police response, the atmosphere was peaceful. Unarmed police officers stationed sparsely at the vigil's sidelines received festive foods along with the protesters.

Most Western churches observed Easter on April 9, but Orthodox Christians in Georgia, Russia and elsewhere follow a different calendar.

“It is the most extraordinary Easter I have ever witnessed. The feeling of solidarity is overwhelming, but we should not forget about the main issue,” activist Lika Chachua told The Associated Press, referring to the proposed legislation.

The legislature approved a second reading of the bill Wednesday. The third and final reading is expected later this month.

The proposal is nearly identical to a measure that the governing Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw last year after large street protests.

Georgian Dream argues the bill is necessary to stem what it deems as harmful foreign influence over the country’s political scene and to prevent unidentified foreign actors from trying to destabilize the country’s political scene.

But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has described the parliament’s move as “a very concerning development” and warned that “final adoption of this legislation would negatively impact Georgia’s progress on its EU path.”

Russia-Georgia relations have been strained and turbulent since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the two fought a brief war in 2008 that ended with Georgia losing control over two Russia-friendly separatist regions. In the aftermath, Tbilisi severed diplomatic ties with Moscow, and the issue of the regions’ status remains a key irritant, even as relations have somewhat improved.

The opposition United National Movement accuses Georgian Dream, which was founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, of serving Moscow’s interests. The governing party vehemently denies that.

Demonstrators march during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" in the center of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, May 3, 2024. The parliament of Georgia has cancelled its plenary session following massive protests against a proposed law that critics fear will stifle media freedom and endanger the country's bid for membership in the European Union. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Demonstrators gather outside the Biltmore Hotel in Tbilisi where Asia Development Bank Annual set the 57th Annual Meeting of the ADB Board of Governors which is held to denounce the "Russian Law" and make their protest heard internationally in the center of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, May 3, 2024. The parliament of Georgia has cancelled its plenary session following massive protests against a proposed law that critics fear will stifle media freedom and endanger the country's bid for membership in the European Union. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)