It seems that all political forces agree that there should be held extraordinary parliamentary elections. That is good. Contradictions arise elsewhere: acting Prime Minister says “let us hold parliamentary elections with the condition of having a Republican Prime Minister”, that is with the condition for them keeping the levers of administrative pressure application and vote buying. Perhaps, they also want to hold elections under the current Electoral Code, that is by the so-called “rating” vote, when the oligarchs are interested in giving away money to appear in the parliament. Naturally, the protesters want to hold elections with Nikol Pashinyan’s Prime Ministry and a changed “real proportional” electoral system.
Without having any political preference and, moreover, by not seeing Pashinyan in the post of Prime Minister, let me explain why they should choose the second way. Let us suppose, everything goes on with the Republicans’ scenario, and the Republican Party or the Prosperous Armenia Party wins the early parliamentary elections. We will again have elections, that nobody believes in the results. It will inevitably lead to new dissatisfaction, new protests, and new crises. Does it worth losing time on such experiments? What if the next complaint is not led by a politician who is trying to stay within the limits of legality, but a group like “Sasna Tsrer”? And what if the next time the decision-makers are supporters of “tough measures”. Certainly, choosing Nikol Pashinyan as a interim Prime Minister, and even changing the Electoral Code does not guarantee either reliable elections or, in particular, the rapid development of the country after the election. But this is the only reasonable solution at this time and the only chance to keep the country away from chaos.
So, Karen Karapetyan’s tactics of wasting time will not give any political results, and the practical outcome will be that the revolutionary anarchy will continue on the streets, new parties and oligarchs, even odious figures, will join Pashinyan’s movement. It is bad since it will perhaps be difficult for Nikol to “disperse” them later.
So, it is desirable that Karen Karapetyan returns to his Moscow residence as soon as possible, and the Republicans listen to their party leader and try to manifest themselves as oppositionists.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
