Anti-government protests in Armenia
The 2024 Armenian protests, most commonly known in Armenia as Tavush for the Homeland (), were a series of street demonstrations taking place throughout Armenia due to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan leading an effort to demarcate the Armenia–Azerbaijan border, reaching an agreement with the Government of Azerbaijan which handed over four abandoned villages along the border to Azerbaijan: Bağanis Ayrum, Aşağı Əskipara, Xeyrimli, and Qızılhacılı.
Events.
Spontaneous protests.
In Yerevan, spontaneous protests led by the opposition occurred on 24 and 25 April. Opposition leaders claimed that police employed aggressive methods against protesters in the city on 24 April. In other parts of the country, demonstrations resulted in temporary closures of national and regional highways, such as the Yerevan-Meghri highway, the Yerevan-Gyumri highway, the Baghanis-Voskepar highway, and the interstate highway connecting Armenia to Georgia. 
On 26 April 2024, protestors continued to block streets in Yerevan and main highways outside the city to oppose the territorial concessions depicted by Nikol Pashinyan's administration as the beginning of Armenia's border delineation with Azerbaijan. Some employed large vehicles for this objective. Law enforcement authorities intervened to reopen traffic on almost all of those routes.
The parliamentary opposition group Armenia Alliance called for a motion of no confidence on Pashinyan. However, the opposition lacks enough representation to put forward a motion as Civil Contract maintains a supermajority within parliament.
On 7 May 2024, Pashinyan criticized the involvement of religious figures in politics and stated "The government should not interfere in the affairs of the church. The Armenian Apostolic Church has its own rules of activity, its own regulations. But in general it is obvious that today the Catholicos of All Armenians is leading a political movement in Armenia.
Galstanyan-led protests.
On 9 May, protests spread as Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan called on Prime Minister Pashinyan to resign within the hour, receiving no response from the government. 
On 10 May, Galstanyan called for university students to boycott class and join his protests, with some doing so, and saying that if it was "God's will" for him to become prime minister "who am I to say no?" Galstanyan later confirmed, however, that he holds not only Armenian but also Canadian citizenship. The constitution of Armenia bars dual citizens from serving as prime minister. Galstanyan also told protesters they should "engage in peaceful acts of disobedience," if Pashinyan did not listen to their demands.
On 10 May, at least 48 protesters where arrested by the police for violating Article 182 of the Armenian Code of Administrative Offenses. All 48 were allowed to be released on bail, should they afford it. Also on 10 May, Galstanyan met with Serzh Sargsyan's I Have Honor Alliance and Robert Kocharyan's Armenia Alliance representatives for consultations.
On 11 May, Tigran Urikhanyan, a former MP and current leader of the Alliance Party, was arrested in Russia at the request of the Armenian government for "calling for the violent overthrow of the constitutional structure in the country." Additionally, protesters in Gyumri formed a motor-convoy dubbed "Tavush for the Motherland", driving to Yerevan to support the protesters there, and to help block roadways.
On 13 May, at least 171 protesters were arrested by police in Yerevan. Galstanyan urged supporters to "paralyze" the capital. Protestors blocked roads and briefly disrupted traffic before being removed by police. 156 of the protestors were released from police custody by late afternoon. That same day, Galstanyan stated that there would be no more rallies held at Republic Square but encouraged protestors to carry out acts of civil disobedience elsewhere in the city.
According to the Union of Informed Citizens, the largest crowd of protestors contained around 20,000 people on 9 May. A second rally the next day attracted only 11,700 people. The crowd was even smaller two days later. It was speculated that Kocharyan helped fund and paid protestors to attend the rallies in Yerevan. On 14 May, the Jamestown Foundation noted that the protests failed to gain momentum.
On 16 May, a small crowd of protestors gathered outside the Yerevan Opera Theatre which was hosting an event between Pashinyan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
On 17 May, Galstanyan met with representatives of the Armenian National Congress.
On 21 May, Galstanyan met with exiled representatives of the National Assembly of Artsakh in Yerevan.
On 8 June, Galstanyan called for Armenia to develop stronger ties with Russia.
On 12 June, Nikol Pashinyan told parliament that his government will withdraw Armenia from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with Pashinyan stating, "We will leave. We will decide when to exit...Don't worry, we won't return". Pashinyan also said that a peace treaty with Azerbaijan was close to completion, but that his country would not accept Azerbaijan's demands that Armenia change its constitution. After Pashinyan made the comments, clashes broke out between police and demonstrators in Yerevan, with protestors throwing bottles and stones at police. Protesters surrounded parliament and attempted to storm the building, however, police were able to disperse the crowd. Police officials said 17 officers were injured.
Opposition to the protests.
Artur Hovannisian, a Civil Contract lawmaker claimed that "the ongoing antigovernment protests are coordinated by the Armenian Apostolic Church and former Presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan." He said they are trying to "stage a coup by undemocratic means." Meanwhile, during a session of the National Assembly on 30 April, Civil Contract deputies branded Galstanyan a Russian spy.
On 7 May 2024, Ani Khachatryan, a member of the Hanrapetutyun Party emphasized the connection between the participants of the march, the leading clergyman, and Russia. Khachatryan stated, "The participants of the movement, the clergy, do not even hide their connection with Russia" and "history shows that the clergy were the biggest Russian agents." Khachatryan also stated, "Archbishop Bagrat is the clergyman of Robert Kocharyan's personal use."
On 10 May 2024, Civil Contract secretary Artur Hovhannisyan stated, "A process is being generated to carry out a coup in Armenia in an undemocratic way. The church is fully engaged in this." Hovhannisyan claimed that Robert Kocharyan is behind all this, and he is trying to serve, according to him, "the interests of the empire", in this case Russia.
On 12 May 2024, Tigran Khzmalyan, Chairman of the European Party of Armenia launched a petition condemning any unconstitutional attempts and dissent aimed at undermining the internal stability of Armenia. The petition called for restraint, maintaining the rule of law, as well as maintaining universal and constitutional democratic norms, including the separation between church and state. The petition also called for the government of Armenia to withdraw from all Russian-led structures including the Collective Security Treaty Organization and Eurasian Economic Union, while supporting Armenia's bid to join the European Union and NATO. The petition was backed by Aram Sargsyan's Hanrapetutyun Party, the For The Republic Party, the Christian-Democratic Rebirth Party, as well as several NGOs from within and outside of Armenia. The declaration also condemned Russia's attempt to destabilize Armenia during the protests.
During the protests, the Conservative Party accused Russia for trying to destabilize Armenia and called for Armenia to develop a stronger strategic partnership with the United States.
On 13 May 2024, Armenian foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated, "By undermining the Alma-Ata declaration and the peace process based on it, these people [the protestors] continue, I can't say for sure whether consciously or unwittingly, they continue to undermine the sovereignty, statehood, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. In the best interpretation, without realizing it, in the worst interpretation, at the direct dictation of another country [alluding to Russia]."
On 27 June 2024, Gurgen Simonyan, Chairman of the Meritocratic Party of Armenia, criticized pro-Russian forces for attempting to destabilize Armenia, attack government buildings, and trying to seize power illegitimately during the protests.
On 6 August 2024, Grigor Yeritsyan, head of the National Progress Party of Armenia faction of the Yerevan City Council stated, "We see the solution to the created political crisis with early elections. It is clear to us that the members of the Tavush for the Motherland movement do not intend to go to early elections, besides this, there are people in the movement [representatives of the former regime] who are unacceptable to us."
Former Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan stated that the Tavush for the Motherland movement intends to resume street protests in September 2024, and that his political party New Power would conduct operations separately from the Tavush for the Motherland movement.
On 20 September 2024, the National Democratic Pole withdrew their support for the Tavush for the Motherland movement.
Aftermath.
On 23 June 2024, Galstanyan said the "Tavush for the Motherland" movement would reorganize as a "new concept". On 3 July 2024, Galstanyan announced he would meet with extra-parliamentary political parties. Galstanyan stated, "We will call to a meeting those who were there from the beginning. Probably, with those forces, a big or small political council will be formed, we will decide the format. This will be done to increase the degree of engagement."
On 22 September 2024, Galstanyan held a gathering at the Karen Demirchyan Complex where he announced that the Tavush for the Motherland movement will resume activities on 2 October 2024 with a rally in Republic Square.
Analysis.
Richard Giragosian, the director of the Regional Studies Centre think tank, stated "After its initial launch in May, we saw a rapid decline in the number of people. It's one thing to come out and yell and make fiery speeches, but then everyone just went home. In other words, it simply petered out after a steady erosion of momentum."
Benyamin Poghosyan, a senior research fellow at ARPI Armenia think tank, stated "The protests were blighted almost from the start by an apparent absence of effective political coordination. Although a highly popular public figure, Galstanyan has no experience in office, while Armenia's political opposition have largely failed to recover their credibility since the 2018 revolution."
A July 2024 Gallup opinion poll noted that only 1.5% of respondents would vote for Bagrat Galstanyan should he run in elections, while 14.4% of respondents would vote for the ruling Civil Contract party.
References.
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