Armenia protest leader: "We will not give up"

YEREVAN, May 2 (Reuters) - Nikol Pashinyan, leader of an Armenian protest movement locked in a standoff with the ruling elite, told Reuters on Wednesday he and his supporters would not give up, and would continue their campaign of civil disobedience.

"My only power is my people. We are not going to give up," Pashinyan, dressed in his trademark camouflage T-shirt and cap, said at a protest in the Armenian capital. "We will continue our strike and disobedience."

Asked if he would re-submit his candidacy for the prime minister's job to parliament, after lawmakers rejected it on Tuesday, Pashinyan told Reuters: "We will think and negotiate."

If parliament fails for a second time to choose a prime minister, it will be dissolved and early elections called. Pashinyan said if that happened, one option for his movement would be to boycott the election.

"I can't tell you now, it will depend on the specific situation," he said. (Reporting by Margarita Antidze Writing by Christian Lowe Editing by Catherine Evans)