The contours of the opposition’s pre-election political forces are already becoming visible. I hope that the leaders and members of these parties and blocs have no hidden agendas and genuinely want to free our state from Nikol Pashinyan’s disastrous governance. As I have written many times before, I very much want them not to obstruct one another, not to try to siphon votes from each other, and—even when criticizing one another—to stay within the bounds of ethical conduct.
A number of opposition figures are proposing that all these forces sign something akin to a charter, committing themselves to ensuring the fairness and transparency of the elections. This is especially important given that it is obvious the Civil Contract party (ՔՊ) no longer enjoys the level of support it had even in 2021 and will inevitably resort to the “good old” methods—particularly the use of paid vote brokers (“tasovshiks”) and administrative resources. The most recent local elections in Vagharshapat are evidence of that.
Such an initiative would also have a consolidating effect: forces that have traveled different paths, adhere to different ideologies, carry numerous contradictions, and will compete with each other in the upcoming elections would nevertheless pledge to safeguard citizens’ votes—regardless of whom those votes are cast for.
For now, there is no such statement. But if one were to appear, I believe it would be possible to formulate a common position on two additional issues where there seems to be broad agreement: the Church and political prisoners. Roughly speaking, a condemnation of repression against clergy and of politically motivated persecution of citizens.
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Now imagine that the Republican Party of Armenia and the National Democratic Union, the Armenian National Congress and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, along with all the other opposition forces, were to sign such a document—would that not send a positive signal to society? I believe it would.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
