Protests against a hike in electricity rates (Armenia)

Protests against a hike in electricity rates
Date	June 20, 2015–September 11, 2015
Location	Armenia: Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, and almost every major city and town Armenian diaspora: Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Brussels
Goals	cancellation of electricity price hike
Methods	demonstrations, sit-ins, hunger strike, online activism, civil disobedience
Resulted in	The monopolist electric distribution company is sold to a new investor. Latest price hike postponed.
Parties to the civil conflict
Civil opposition No to robbery (Ոչ թալանին, Voch t'alanin) Rise up, Armenia (Ոտքի Հայաստան, Votki Hayastan) Armenian government
Lead figures
Vaghinak Shushanyan (until August 8) Andreas Ghukasyan Serzh Sargsyan
Units involved
Number
Casualties and losses
Casualties

Electric Yerevan more known within Armenia as No robbery protests, were mass protests occurred in summer 2015 against a hike in electricity rates in Armenia.

Background

Electric Yerevan had been preceded by previous smaller movements against price hikes on marshrutkas public transportation and a new mandatory pension savings system. Then in June 2015, the Armenian Public Services Regulatory Committee (PSRC) increased the price of electricity for the public. The cost increased to 7 drams ($0.01 USD) per kilowatt hour, to be effective on August 1, 2015.

Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA, wich had been acquired by Russian Inter RAO UES in 2006) holds an exclusive license to distribute electricity in Armenia, doing so at tariffs approved by Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission. ENA justified the latest price hike by pointing out its overall losses while blaming the Armenian government for having ignored the situation and not having carried out long due market reforms in the Armenian electricity sector. In this regard, an audit of the company’s 2013 finances had showed losses of about $94 million, putting the company on the brink of bankruptcy. Concurrently, a 2013 World Bank report stated that the power sector in Armenia was underfinanced and that even raising tariffs would not cover increasing costs. On the other side, different media, international organizations and reports by RAO UES itself had mentioned corruption and mismanagement within ENA. In this regard, it has been pointed out that the latest hike could be afforded by the middle class but the underlying reasons for protest actually stemmed from a sense of mistrust in the government due to the perceived corruption and mismanagement.

Protests

Police automobiles in Baghramyan Avenue.

Sit-in in Baghramyan Avenue.

Sit-in in Mashtots Avenue.

Protests began in June 2015, locally referred to as #ElectricYerevan, Revolution of socket, ElectroMaidan, EnergoMaidan. The latter two are a pun on Ukraine's Euromaidan in late 2013/early 2014. Protesters have stated that they do not wish to replicate Euromaidan and that they were angered by the suggestion in the Russian media that their protests are "a new Maidan".

On 20–21 June 2015, in the "high-voltage rally", activists went on a sitting strike protesting against the price increase. At the end of the rally, a group of civil activists announced another sit-in in a central Yerevan square, which was attended by thousands of people.

On 22 June, the activists of the "high-voltage rally" marched to Baghramyan Avenue, towards the Presidential Palace and began a sit-in protest.

On 23 June, Police used water cannons on protesters. Later that same day, protesters went to Baghramyan Avenue and began a Sitdown strike.

On 27 June, protesters closed the Mashtots Avenue and Sayat-Nova Avenue intersection and the Place de France.

On 6 July, police disperses the sit-in which had returned to Freedom Square.

On 16 July, Andreas Ghukasyan and others created the "Rise up, Armenia" movement.

On 21 August, Rise up, Armenia members was apprehended during rally on Republic Square, but several hours after Rise up, Armenia all apprehended members freed.

On 1 September, "No to robbery" launches a rally in Lovers' Park. During the rally protesters comes to Republic Square, where had been Rise up, Armenias' organized sit-in participants.

On 4 September, Rise up, Armenia organized protest in Republic Square, with 40-day sit-in occasion. In protest also participanted Pre-Parliament members.

End of protests

An independent audit of ENA concluded that the electricity tariff increase was indeed due from a financial point of view. Eventually, the government approved the sale of ENA from RAO UES to the Tashir Group, run by Samvel Karapetyan, a Russia-based Armenian billionaire who had retained close links with Armenia as a philantropist and is a generally respected figure in Armenia. The Armenian government then announced that they would jointly —together with the Tashir group— subsidize the hike until July 31, 2016.