FEB. 26 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Stall owners in Yerevan’s largest clothing market scuffled with police during a protest against what they say are unfair rents they are having to pay in worsening economic conditions.
Armenia is prone to street demonstrations which can often be drawn out and rattle governments. Last year protests over a proposed increase in electricity prices lasted weeks and eventually forced the government to backtrack.
And, just like its neighbours, Armenia’s economy has been worsening over the past 18 months. Remittances have fallen, GDP growth is low and shopkeepers have said that trade has collapsed.
Now frayed nerves appear to be morphing into street demonstrations once again.
Official data has shown that trade in Armenia in 2015 was down by nearly 60% on the previous year, media reported. Stall owners at the Malatia market on the western edge of the city appear to agree. Hundreds stopped work to join the protest that blocked a road.
“We are not slaves. Enough is enough,” RFE/RL quoted one stall owner as saying.
They wanted the rent on the stalls to be lowered by 30%, a figure that the market’s owner has said was impossible to hit.
The demonstration’s leaders have said that they will not pay rent in March unless the price is dropped, setting the scene for another show- down next month.
Police detained three people at the demonstration.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 270, published on March 4 2016)