16,000 Armenians Rally Against Poverty, Graft

Some 16,000 opposition supporters rallied in the Armenian capital on Friday to protest against President Serzh Sarkisian's rule and demanded snap polls.

They accused the government of failing to stem poverty and corruption in the landlocked former Soviet republic.

A country of 3.2 million, Armenia was badly affected by the global downturn. It is economically isolated as its borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are blocked due to ongoing international disputes.

"A powerful movement for the change of government is being launched," Armenia's former president and leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress party, Levon Ter-Petrosian, told the applauding crowd in Yerevan's Freedom Square.

The rally was called by three main opposition parties, Prosperous Armenia, Heritage, and the Armenian National Congress, to protest against the government's economic policies and its failure to tackle graft.

Last Friday a similar rally attracted over 10,000 protesters.