Armenia’s opposition leader, Nikol Pashinyan, called on Tuesday for a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience after he failed in his bid to become prime minister. Addressing tens of thousands of people gathered in a square in the Armenian capital, Pashinyan said that starting from 8:15 (12.15 a.m. ET) on Wednesday morning, his supporters would block roads, railways and airports. Pashinyan led eleven days of protests against the election of veteran leader Serzh Sarkisian as prime minister, which culminated in his resignation last week. That seemed to signal a dramatic shift in power in Armenia, an ex-Soviet state closely aligned to Russia that has been run by the same cadre of people since the late 1990s. “We will block the streets, the airports, the metro, the railway, everything that can be blocked,” Pashinyan told his cheering supporters on Yerevan’s Republic Square. “If everyone participates in a total act of civil disobedience, this will be a total victory of the people of Armenia. Our struggle is a struggle of non-violence, it is a peaceful act of civil disobedience.” "A revolution of love and tolerance is continuing," he said, also urging people to turn out for a huge rally Wednesday evening as the crowds chanted "Nikol! Nikol!". Pashinyan, a 42-year-old former journalist who spent two years in jail for fomenting unrest, was submitted to parliament as the only nominee for the vacant prime minister’s job. But the ruling Republican Party, allied to Sarkisian, has a majority in the legislature and after hours of acrimonious debate it withheld its support for Pashinyan’s candidacy, leaving him short of the support he needed. Lawmakers voted 45 in favor to 55 against Pashinyan. During the parliamentary debate, Republican Party lawmakers accused Pashinyan or being an irresponsible rabble-rouser, they alleged he recruited children to join his protest movement, and said he lacked the qualities to command the Armenian armed forces. Earlier on Tuesday, Pashinyan had warned the ruling elite it could face a “tsunami” of anger from the people if it stymied his move to become prime minister. Supporters of Pashinyan, who had spent the day in the capital’s Republic Square to watch the parliamentary debate on two huge screens, shouted “shame” when the result of the vote was shown. “It showed once again that they don’t care about us, about the ordinary people,” said Gurgen, a 61-year-old unemployed man who was among the crowd. Anait Tolmasyan, a 63-year-old pensioner, added: "We all only have one demand: the Republicans must go. Nikol is the true leader of the Armenian people." "The entire country is united in its demand that the Republicans rule must end," said Laura Shahverdyan, a 22-year-old student. The crisis in Armenia, which has a population of about three million people and has Russian military bases on its territory, is being closely watched in Moscow. Officials there are wary of a repeat of a popular revolt in Ukraine in 2014 that swept to power new leaders who pulled away from Moscow’s orbit. Protests flared when Sarkisian announced he was seeking to become prime minister. He had previously been president, but was limited by the constitution from seeking another term. Some Armenians saw Sarkisian’s bid for the prime minister’s job as a cynical ploy to extend his grip on power. Some voters accuse Sarkisian and his associates of cronyism and corruption, an allegation they deny. Pashinyan has pledged to keep Armenia close to Moscow, saying the changes he wants to make would instead focus on rooting out graft.