Background The runner-up
Raffi Hovannisian didn't recognize the legitimacy of the election and on late night of 18 February 2013, he claimed victory in a press conference, stating "We all know that we have won", continuing "for the first time in 20 years the citizens have said yes to our constitution, to the rule of law, to democracy and our future." However, the international observers gave an overall positive assessment of the conduct of the presidential elections in which
Serzh Sargsyan was reelected for the second term. Sargsyan also received congratulations from EU,
Council of Europe, NATO as well as from the presidents of major powers such as United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, Iran, Turkey and many others.
Early stage (19 February–10 March) On 19 February, a mass of his supporters gathered in Yerevan's
Freedom Square, where Hovannisian urged President Sargsyan to accept "people's victory" and concede his defeat. Armenia's former PM
Hrant Bagratyan, who came in the third place, claimed that "authorities tried to stop Hovannisian from winning" and the next day, he urged Hovannisian and Sargsyan to sit at the negotiating table, stating that the election was "not free and unfair" and saw "willing to hold talks". He called on "Raffi Hovannisian and Serzh Sargsyan to sit at the negotiating table and try to find the way out of the situation. Otherwise, it will be impossible to avoid further escalation and clashes." On 19 February 2013, several activists broke into press conference held by OSCE PA election observers and screamed "Stop Legitimizing Fraudulent
Elections in Armenia". The observers walked out of the hall and asked for a written statement by the activists in Armenian or English. On 20 February 2013, Hovannisian and his supporters gathered in the Freedom Square. Hovannisian once gain claimed victory and called the people to stay in the square until tomorrow and meet President Sargsyan whose ruling party is expected to hold a rally there. Opposition politician
Nikol Pashinyan joined Hovannisian and addressed the people in Freedom Square. on 21 February 2013 On 21 February 2013, Hovannisian and Sargsyan met in the
Presidential Palace in
Yerevan. First, he told a group of his supporters that he was heading for negotiations with Sargsyan, then marched up to the Presidential Palace on Baghramyan Street. The meeting with incumbent President lasted for more than two hours. According to Hovannisian they discussed ways to end the post-election dispute. After Hovannisian left the palace, he said to the gathered crowd of his supporters that "It is not Serzh versus Raffi" and continued that "We are committed to our victory and the Armenian people will have their victory tomorrow." with
Raffi Hovannisian announcing about yesterday's meeting with incumbent president
Serzh Sargsyan. According to Hovannisian, he demanded Sargsyan to accept the will of the people and Sargsyan said "no". Armen Martirosyan, a former MP from Hovannisian's
Heritage party, claimed that Ashot Giziryan, the
Republican governor of
Shirak Province, where Hovannisian won the biggest support, had resigned because of "not enough electoral fraud", while Giziryan himself said "I conceded my defeat and tendered resignation. Let Raffi now concede his defeat." Another major opposition party, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation, joined Hovannisian's rally. ARF Council member
Armen Rustamyan addressed the crowd saying that "this is an unstoppable movement to establish the rule of the people."
Andrias Ghukasyan, one of the candidates, who did not actively participate in the election, because he was performing a hunger strike against "fake elections", later joined the rally and stated that "the fake elections showed that state cannot be fair, but people displayed their will and came to congratulate Raffi Hovannisian who managed to consolidate Armenian society." Famous Armenian singer-songwriter
Ruben Hakhverdyan was also present at the rally. In particular, his statements such as "I don't care for the opinion of those at the top" sparked enthusiasm among the crowd. At the end, Hovannisian called the crowd to continue the "peaceful and constitutional struggle" and informed that he and his supporters will be touring throughout Armenia "to take the victory and greetings." He said they will be in
Ashtarak,
Vanadzor and
Gyumri. The rally ended with a march. On 23 February 2013, Hovannisian traveled throughout Armenia. He visited the cities of
Gyumri,
Vanadzor,
Ashtarak,
Spitak,
Aparan where thousands gathered to hear his speech and the "victory celebration". In Gyumri, Armenia's second largest city, where Hovannisian defeated Sargsyan by over 40%, he claimed that he is "not issuing ultimatums but it must be evident to the third president [Sargsyan] respected by me that it's time to transfer power to the people of Armenia." On 23 February 2013,
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first President and the leader of the
Armenian National Congress, declared that "the results are obvious to me: [President] Serzh Sargsyan was not elected and the winner is Raffi Hovannisian. I have no doubts whatsoever." He also talked about the possibility of joining the protests.
Nikol Pashinyan, one of Hovannisian's main supporting opposition politicians, urged Hovannisian to for a new government that would be confirmed by direct democratic practices on the Freedom Square. -colored poster with the word "Բարև" (hello) written on it is the symbol of the movement On 25 February 2013, Hovannisian held a press conference, where he talked about the current situation in Armenia. He said there is a possibility of appealing the election results in the Constitutional Court. He also claimed that Sargsyan offered him to wait until 2017 and 2018, which was rejected. On 25 February 2013, several hundred university students declared a
student strike against electoral fraud during the election. Students from the
Yerevan State University started the strike, later students from the
Yerevan State Medical University and
Armenian National Agrarian University joined them. The student strikes continued on the following days. The Ministry of Education and Science announced that "political activities and propaganda within the premises of educational institutions is prohibited by law." On 26 and 27 February 2013, Hovannisian visited the cities and towns in the
Ararat plain and
Syunik. On 28 February 2013, Hovannisian and his supporters once again gathered in the Freedom Square to protest the election results. Famous French-Armenian actor
Vardan Petrosyan had arrived in Yerevan a day earlier to address the crowd. He in particular stated that the movement was a victory that took place in "the mind, in the heart, in one's very soul." The mass rallies were disrupted on 1 March 2013, to commemorate the memory of the 10 victims of the
2008 Armenian presidential election protests. On 2 March 2013, the mass rallies in Freedom Square continued. Hovannisian set a new "deadline" for the authorities to start "handing over power to the people." On 3 March 2013, Hovannisian met with Prosperous Armenia leader
Gagik Tsarukyan and discussed the ongoing situation in the country. PAP had earlier stated that they are "next to the people." On 4 March 2013, Hovannisian submitted an appeal to the Constitutional Court. His claim will be considered by the court and the court will issue a verdict in 10 days. On 5 March 2013, despite the snow, another rally was held in the Freedom Square. Hovannisian once again stated that there's no way back. He pointed out that "now we have nothing to say [to them], we have to act and we won't get diverted from our path." The
Armenian Revolutionary Federation representative Armen Rustamyan urged the opposition parties to consolidate around the upcoming
Yerevan City Council election in May. On 6 March 2013, Hovannisian traveled in
Tavush Province. His supporters gathered in the cities of
Dilijan,
Ijevan,
Noyemberyan and
Berd to hear Hovannisian's speech and congratulations on "people's victory." On 7 March 2013, Hovannisian continued his tour throughout Armenia's northern and central provinces. He visited
Chambarak,
Talin,
Artik,
Vanadzor,
Gyumri,
Spitak,
Aparan. On 8 March 2013, on the
International Women's Day, the rally in support of Raffi Hovannisian was also dedicated to Armenian women. Among other, Hovannisian's wife Armenouhi also addressed the crowd in Freedom Square. On 9 March 2013, Hovannisian concluded his visits to the provinces of Armenia in
Gegharkunik. Hovannisian stopped in the towns
Vardenis,
Martuni,
Gavar, and
Sevan. In Sevan, a small incident occurred involving the mayor.
In the Armenian diaspora Groups of
Armenian-Americans protested the results in front of the Armenian consulates New York on February 22 and Los Angeles on 24 February 2013. On 26 February 2013, prominent Armenian American rock singer,
Serj Tankian (lead singer of
System of a Down) sent an
open letter to President Sargsyan, in which he congratulated on reelection, but also questioned the fairness of the past election. He wrote to incumbent Sargsyan saying "it's time for change" after non-government organizations reported widespread voting fraud. "Corruption, injustice, emigration, lawlessness and falsified elections" are prompting Armenians to emigrate, Tankian wrote. "Citizens across Armenia are protesting the outcome of the elections and the injustice inherent in the political establishment." He also urged Sargsyan to protect the country from its enemies as " Those who steal elections from my people are domestic enemies that need to be punished." On 8 March 2013, a group of French Armenians gathered in front of the Armenian embassy in Paris to protest the alleged rigged election results. On 10 March 2013, a similar protest was held by Armenian community members in
Brussels.
Hunger strike (10–31 March) On 10 March 2013, after addressing his supporters in Freedom Square, Hovannisian announced about his decision to start a hunger strike. He urged President-elect
Serzh Sargsyan to resign. According to Hovannisian, "this is not just a hunger strike, but a boycott against lies and fraud." At the end, he stated that "[i]f on April 9 [the inauguration date] he [Serzh Sargsyan] gives a pseudo-oath on the Constitution and the Holy Bible and the Supreme Patriarch blesses it and thus defiles the Bible, they will do it on my dead body." On 11 March 2013, after the first day of the hunger strike, Hovannisian described his action as "the new milestone of registering the
de jure victory of the Armenian people." Several notable politicians visited Hovannisian the next day. Among them former Prime Minister
Aram Sargsyan, 2003 Presidential candidate
Stepan Demirchyan, former Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian, former Speaker of the National Assembly
Tigran Torosyan, MP
Nikol Pashinyan and
Andrias Ghukasyan. That day, talking about a possible solution of the conflict, Hovannisian also stated that the solution "should be a complex, integral, immediate and guaranteed" one "that I will be able to report to the people to end this standoff." His request to put up a tent was rejected by the police. On 14 March 2013, the
Constitutional Court of Armenia issued a verdict confirming the victory of President Sargsyan. On 15 March 2013,
Hovik Abrahamyan, the Speaker of the National Assembly, visited Hovannisian. Abrahamyan stated that they "have not come to any common denominator, but I think that most likely we will meet again to discuss these issues." Hovannisian later announced about holding civil forums at the Freedom Square. By 21 March 2012, five such events were held with the presence of
Nikol Pashinyan,
Andrias Ghukasyan,
Tigran Khzmalyan and others. On 22 March 2013, thousands gathered at Freedom Square to hear Hovannisian's speech. He proposed Sargsyan a "last and minimum level" compromise, which called for a "comprehensive power sharing" with the authorities. His proposal includes two options. The first is "immediate conduct of new presidential elections." Hovannisian's second option is "the sharing of power between the authorities and the people" by holding snap parliamentary elections by the end of the year and replacing key regional governors and government members candidates proposed by Hovannisian. Hovannisian later signed it in front of the crowd ready to be sent to President
Serzh Sargsyan. On 25 March 2013, President Sargsyan responded to Hovannisian's proposal, urging Hovannisian to "stop the hunger strike, recuperate for a day or two" and then the two "will start working seriously together." In the days following, Hovannisian and Sargsyan sent each other letters to start a dialogue. Sargsyan insisted that Hovannisian stop the hunger strike and visit the
Presidential Palace, while Hovannisian proposed several times for Sargsyan to go to the Freedom Square and start a negotiation process there. On 29 March 2013, Hovannisian declared that he will end the hunger strike on the Easter day on 31 March and start to visit the regions. As promised, Hovannisian ended his hunger strike on 31 March.
Later developments (1–8 April) Starting on 1 April 2013, Hovannisian started to visit towns and villages of Armenia. Hovannisian announced on 2 April 2013, that he will try to overshadow Serzh Sargsyan inauguration on 9 April, by holding a similar event in either
Freedom Square or
Republic Square in Yerevan. On 3 April 2013, talking about the future plans of the movement in Martuni, Hovannisian stated that "Now, you have to decide whose citizens you are – of the Republic of Armenia or of the former president, former governor, chief of police, and I don't know who else." Hovannisian claimed that he visits the provinces "to recruit citizens for the April 9 inauguration of a new Armenia." April 7 marked the start of the
2013 Yerevan City Council election. Hovannisian joined
Barev Yerevan alliance's first-day campaign with tree planting in central Yerevan. Barev Yerevan is made up of mostly his
Heritage party members and activists. on 9 April 2013
9 April On 9 April 2013, the officially elected president, incumbent
Serzh Sargsyan was inaugurated as
president of Armenia at the
Karen Demirchyan Complex. On the same day, Sargsyan accepted the resignation of the last cabinet in order to form a new one in the upcoming days. In the meantime, thousands of people gathered in the Freedom Square to witness Raffi Hovannisian's "inauguration of a new Armenia." After the formal ceremony in the square, Hovannisian and his supporters hold a "rally of victory" in the streets of central Yerevan. After rallying through several streets Hovannisian and the protesters came back to the Freedom Square at around 6 p.m. and with the demand of the crowd yelling "Hima, hima!" (Now, now!), Hovannisian headed to
Baghramyan Avenue, where the
Presidential Palace is located. The riot police armed with
batons and
shields blocked the Baghramyan Avenue. The protesters clashed with the police, resulting in few injuries, including
Armen Martirosyan who led the
Heritage party list for the
2013 Yerevan City Council election.
Decline On 12 April 2013, Hovannisian and few thousand of his supporters gathered in the Freedom Square. Hovannisian pledged to continue the struggle and stated that "In the coming weeks and months we will not give rest to this government and will continue our struggle in Yerevan and other cities and towns." On 19 April 2013, Hovannisian pronounced to the Heritage party members and their supporters about the civic alliance, which he said should be above partisanship.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation was also present at the meeting, where they presented their own future plan as proposal for Hovannisian. The
Yerevan City Council election took place on 5 May 2013. The
Republican Party of Armenia won absolute majority, while all opposition parties denounced the election results. On 9 May 2013, Raffi Hovannisian addressed his supporters on Freedom Square claiming that the "struggle will continue" and invited all political parties to a meeting on 19 May. On 15 June 2013, Hovannisian held a small meeting with his supporters. He assured that "What we initiated 6 months ago is still in force. The main task of the Heritage is to restore the faith of people". On 23 August, Hovannisian held the biggest rally in months on the 23rd anniversary of Armenia's Declaration of independence. Thousands gathered, while Hovannisian promised a series of anti-government protests in the upcoming month of September. On 20 September 2013, the day before marking the 22nd year of Armenia's independence, Raffi Hovannisian along with former Soviet dissident
Paruyr Hayrikyan held a rally at Freedom Square. Hovannisian stated that "Independence Day is not only a national holiday, but also responsibility. Today, on the eve of the holiday, we have gathered here to say that our statehood is in danger." Hovannisian's Heritage party was one of the only parties in Armenia to openly oppose President Sargsyan's decision to join the
Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. ==Other protests==