Yerevan Street Traders Say Their Only Hope Is Early Elections

YEREVAN STREET TRADERS SAY THEIR ONLY HOPE IS EARLY ELECTIONS

epress.am
08.24.2011

Yerevan City Hall staff continue to persecute street vendors along
Tigran Mets (also spelled Tigran Medz) Ave., not allowing them to
trade, one of the traders, Emma, told Epress.am on Wednesday.

According to her, a few of the street traders have been given spots in
the passage adjacent to the Ayrarat trade centre. “They accommodated
a few here; the rest are in the air; they don’t know what to do. But
we’ve heard they also want to take the [pedestrian] underpass. We
don’t know what we’re going to do; our hope is that something will
change by year end.” A few of the other traders also told Epress.am
that their only hope is pre-term elections.

“Let’s see what happens. We don’t know how we’re going to live;
our only hope now is early [elections], so we can breathe a little,”
they said.

Note, since January this year, Yerevan street vendors have been
protesting the city’s decision to ban street trade with regular
demonstrations outside the Armenian government building, Yerevan City
Hall and the RA presidential residence. They are asking the decision
be annulled, noting that they trade “in order to earn money for a
piece of bread.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress