Recently, education specialist Serob Khachatryan presented a noteworthy thought during an interview with me, which had the following meaning: in the past, a good portion of the elite at the Yerevan State University (many deans and department chairs) were scared of the authorities. Now they are not scared, which is a good thing. But although they do not fear the current authorities, they do not respect the authorities, which is a bad thing.
This pattern can probably be extended to the whole country. Of course, Pashinyan continues to have unshakable fans who admire every step he takes, probably in addition to the incomparable talent of the commander. But his main electorate’s mood is different. “The former authorities robbed the country, destroyed the army, and deceived us by giving it to Nikol. What was that poor man supposed to do?” There is sympathy here, but no respect. Although those who think that way will probably vote for My Step, but depending on them will make it difficult to rebuild our state because those people do not know how state mechanisms should work, nor do they know what the head of state is supposed to do.
Until 2018, many people were terrorized in the Syunik Province by Liska because his actions and his family’s actions remained unpunished (by the way, they remain unpunished even today). Now, thankfully, there is no fear, but there is also no respect.
Do the people of Syunik truly have the right to disrespect the Prime Minister? I think so. The humiliating defeat in the war was ten times more humiliating for the residents of that province because their border suddenly was controlled by the enemy, and the leader of the enemy nation is threatening to completely “return” Zangezur through the terrible “corridor.” The propagandists of the Armenian government who claim that the protests against Pashinyan in the Syunik Province were “organized by dark forces” simply are not sensitive to the feelings of the province’s residents. It’s another story that some protesters also used curses and hooliganism, which are unacceptable to me.
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Another important circumstance. Pashinyan, in accordance with his immature personality (let’s put it that way), is trying to suppress any resistance prior to the elections and establish himself in regions where attitudes toward him are not friendly: be forced to go to Yerablur, be forced to ‘go after’ the generals of the General Staff, and be forced to ‘conquer’ Syunik. In addition to his lack of state thinking, his boyish attitude exacerbates divisions in an already divided society.
As far as the actual elections, the struggle will be difficult, at the very least.
Aram Abrahamyan
