The Victory Of The Popular, Not The Populist

After a 27-year coma, Armenians woke up a few weeks ago. Tired of excuses about a slow, complicated transition from communism, the 'newly' independent country has become an example of people power. The leader of the protests, Nikol Pashinyan, has just become Armenia's prime minister. 

Weeks of peaceful protests began in April after Armenia's ruling Republican Party nominated former President Serzh Sargsyan for the PM post. A situation that reminds of that of Vladimir Putin in Russia, or Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. Sargsyan sought to maintain his political position and influence, despite accusations of corruption against his previous government. 

Armenians said enough and demanded fair elections and the end of the oligarchs. Creating a change was easier than they anticipated. 

In Armenia, some compare Pashinyan to Gandhi and Mandela. Because of his political activism, he's been jailed, attacked, and almost killed. Some analysts wonder now if he would be able to change from 'the revolutionary' to 'the prime minister'.

“He is not a populist. He is popular,” said a fellow party member.