In response to Aravot Daily’s observation that almost the entire opposition uses the word “possible” before the expression “snap elections” at the press conference on the decision to run in the snap parliamentary elections in a bloc with the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Sos Hakobyan, the press secretary of the Homeland party, said, “Unfortunately, we have a government whose statements, goals, and steps that have already been announced may not be implemented. This is the conclusion that can be reached from the experience of following what they have said and done over the past three years. Yes, this time the process is moving towards holding snap elections. But even if Nikol Pashinyan currently has the confidence and conviction that he will continue to take the steps so that we can have snap elections, we cannot rule out the possibility of him having a bad dream one evening and changing his mind the next morning. Therefore, if he cannot be sure of himself, then, of course, other forces cannot either. Until the fact of not electing a prime minister in parliament twice is made clear, we will continue to question whether or not the elections will be conducted.”
When asked about what confidence they have that it is possible to overthrow the government in fragmented, separate blocs when the 17 political forces of the Homeland Salvation Movement together could not do so, and if they have enough means to rule out election fraud, which, according to the opposition, the government is prepared to use all the levers it has, Sos Hakobyan said, “Let me start with the last question. Uniting forces also has that goal. There will be other individuals and participants who control the situation and act cooperatively. In that sense, we certainly have that resource to control both in Yerevan and the regions.
Regarding the first question, the analyses we have conducted until now through surveys and other means show that we will receive a large vote of trust in parliament. There is a difference between people who are prepared to fight actively in the streets, participate, and go to the square on the second or third day, and people who will go once and vote. The treatment between these different phenomena is also different. It is clear that more and more people are always participating in the elections, and in those five minutes, a much larger number of people have their say. In this regard, I think the election results will be more representative. The elections, perhaps, will become a faster tool in getting rid of these authorities.”
Ashot Hakobyan
