Starting today – April 13 – the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Armenia begins accepting documents from political parties and blocs to participate in the parliamentary elections on June 7. The deadline is April 23 at 18:00.
This means that within the next 10 days, the CEC must decide whether or not to register the candidacy of Samvel Karapetyan, an Armenian-origin Russian billionaire currently under house arrest and considered a Kremlin “paratrooper,” from the “Strong Armenia” bloc for the prime ministership. According to the latest public opinion polls by “Gellup,” the ruling “Civil Contract” party currently holds the greatest public support (23.4%), but immediately after it comes Karapetyan’s bloc with 13.4%...
It is no secret that in a poor country like Armenia with no strong tradition of free elections, it is possible to buy certain voters’ votes with money. Karapetyan and his team, who are closely tied to Russia, would be very pleased with that. This could also be a headache for the authorities.
For this reason, it can be expected that the CEC, or more precisely, Pashinyan, taking into account Russia’s economic pressures regarding Karapetyan, will make an extremely measured and measured decision. But if the authorities manage to exclude “Strong Armenia” from the elections, will its voters switch to the “Armenia” bloc of former president, Khojaly war criminal, and another Kremlin candidate, Robert Kocharyan? This issue also exists (“Armenia” received 5.5% support in recent opinion polls). In that case, Kocharyan’s bloc’s chances of crossing the election threshold would also increase.
It is well known that Samvel Karapetyan is also a Russian citizen. However, recently it was reported that he allegedly renounced his dual citizenship. Yet there is no official confirmation so far...
An interesting fact comes to mind here. It was revealed long after that Armenia’s elected president in parliament Armen Sarkisian (2018-2022) was a British citizen. One reason for his resignation before the end of his 5-year term was this fact.
However, Sarkisian, like his predecessor Vahagn Khachaturyan, was a formal president. That is, he did not have broad powers. The prime ministership, which Karapetyan claims, is regarded as the number one position in the state.
With such a bitter “experience” in mind, the Pashinyan government will certainly take this seriously. In any case, during the April 1 meeting with Putin in the Kremlin, he warned Moscow about the impossibility of Armenians who are Russian citizens participating in the elections. Let us wait and see how long Nikol Vovayevich will be able to show willpower...
For now, although not under the name of election, the prime minister continues his meetings with residents in the regions, more precisely, “checking the pulse,” continuing the pre-election campaign, which has yet to officially begin. At one of these meetings, an elderly resident in Kotayk approached and said to him, “I am from Karabakh, in my life I have never seen anyone like you; you are leading the country very well, do not disappoint the people, may God grant you health to continue serving and working,” the resident said, and thanked Pashinyan for peace.
In fact, he expressed the truth more than praise. Because Nikol Pashinyan really represents the last chance and savior of the Armenians. If they are wise, they will hold on to him firmly and follow him to the end. In any case, Pashinyan’s only difference from other candidates is his sincere pursuit of peace and reconciliation with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and his desire to keep a new war away from Armenia. If the notorious neighbors wish the opposite, namely SUICIDE, then let them make Karapetyan or Kocharyan the winner on June 7...
Z. SAFAROGLU