Armenians celebrate new leader with Icelandic-style 'huh' war chant
  • 6 years ago
Activists in Yerevan celebrated the moment Armenia chose a new prime minister this afternoon by taking part in an Iceland-style Viking "huh" war chant.

Tens of thousands rallied in Republic Square to support the election of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the man who led weeks of protests in the former Soviet republic.

Video shows the crowds celebrating with a synchronised "huh", made famous by fans of Iceland's football fans during UEFA Euro 2016.

Writes the filmer: "A united Armenia show their support for Nikol Pashinyan in Republic Square."

Pashinyan replaces the former Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, who resigned on 23 April following a campaign of peaceful mass protests.

Parliament voted 59-42 in favour of Pashinyan in a session earlier this morning.

Pashinyan has a long-standing history of grassroots activism in Armenian politics and survived a possible assassination attempt in 2008 when his car blew up in suspicious circumstances.

In 2010 he was sentenced to a seven-year prison sentence for "inciting mass disorders," later commuted to a year.
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