By Ani Paitjan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that as a result of the “victory” of the Velvet Revolution, the last Saturday of April will be celebrated as Citizen Day. The National Assembly (parliament) passed the law on April 8.
Citizen Day will be celebrated on a Saturday so as not to increase the number of non-working days.
The national holiday will mark the “victory” of the Velvet Revolution of Spring 2018.
This year, it will be on April 23. The date coincides with the resignation of former President Serzh Sargsyan, following the massive demonstrations of Spring 2018.
If the celebration coincides with April 24, the day of Armenian Genocide Remembrance, the Citizen’s Day will be moved to April 25.
The Velvet Revolution was a series of peaceful, anti-government protests in Armenia from April to May 2018 staged by various political and civil groups led by former member of parliament Nikol Pashinyan. Protests and marches took place initially in response to Serzh Sargsyan’s third consecutive term as the most powerful figure in the government of Armenia and later against the Republican Party-controlled government in general.
Read More: Walking the Velvet Revolution
