Protesters demand resignation of Armenian PM, opposition walks out

TBILISI (Reuters) -Protesters demanded the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday and opposition lawmakers walked out of parliament as pressure mounted against the embattled politician.

After blocking major roads in the capital Yerevan, demonstrators rallied outside parliament to voice their discontent while Pashinyan was speaking inside.

Protesters brandishing tricolour Armenian flags shouted “Armenia without Nikol!” and “Leave!”, according to video from the scene.

The opposition walkout came as Pashinyan was delivering a fiery speech. “You run like you always run,” he shouted at lawmakers leaving the session, while his supporters clapped.

Pashinyan has faced heavy criticism since Armenia was defeated by Azerbaijan in a six-week war in 2020 and lost significant territory in and around the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan said he had been compelled to accept a Russian-brokered peace deal, which prompted a wave of protests, to avoid greater human and territorial losses.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)