On Sunday, the Armenian National Congress led by the first President of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrossian, presented an application to participate in the snap parliamentary elections. I must first mention that the 76-year-old politician is in “good shape” politically, if not physically. In that sense, it is the same Ter-Petrossian with whom I communicated about 30 years ago.
Since it is clear how the authorities and Kocharyan’s supporters will campaign against Ter-Petrossian (“but during your rule…”), I must say that there will also be correct facts presented as part of those “reminders.” I also have my issues with the first president’s activities, especially from the time when he was the radical opposition and enabled his supporters to have an aggressive, noisy style, intolerant attitude, and the slogan “whoever is not with us is scum.” In short, it encouraged Nikolism.
But it is not essential to me what Ter-Petrossian did and didn’t do. The opportunities his political party will create by participating in the elections is what is important to me.
In my opinion, the main electorate in our country is divided into two groups.
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Citizens with low educational qualifications and/or low intellect, mythological views of life, who are not particularly interested in the defeat and overthrow of the state, and whose only concern is that “the former regime will not return” (Pashinyan’s electorate).
People who are dissatisfied with the current government for one reason or another, who are offended, insulted, and sometimes humiliated, who dream of the moment when they will come to power and solve the issues of “capitulation” and “betrayal” (Kocharyan’s electorate).
But there is also a portion of the electorate that cannot be identified with these two groups. These citizens recognize the damage caused by Pashinyan’s government, but they want the new government to not spend its time “clearing accounts” (as Kocharyan did in 1998, and Pashinyan in 2018), but will strengthen the security of our country, statehood, and army, and bring the country out of the deep economic crisis. I do not know how big that group is, but these people have two options: either vote for another force that is not openly or secretly pro-Pashinyan or Kocharyan, or not go to the polls at all. The second option is the worst. The ANC is one of the forces that will create an opportunity for the first option.
But I will discuss the scenario in which the situation will develop in tomorrow’s article.
Aram Abrahamyan
