Internal Rebellion Brewing in the ARF Demanding Resignation of Hrant Margaryan and Leaders

According to the newspaper "Hraparak," "The intrigue and drama of these elections undoubtedly revolves around the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), which, for the first time since independence, has participated in parliamentary elections and failed to overcome the electoral threshold. This time, the ARF gathered only 48,822 votes or 3.89%, which is insufficient for passing the threshold. On one hand, this indicates that the society rejected forces that occupied positions in the previous government, while on the other hand, it did not forgive the ARF for its shift in camp. However, another analysis can also be made. For example, the ARF poorly organized their electoral campaign this time, chose an incorrect slogan, used dull posters, and presented a trio of candidates that did not inspire confidence among voters.

The organizational work during the election campaign was coordinated by ARF Bureau representative Hrant Margaryan and ARF Supreme Body representative Arsen Hambardzumyan. Despite the fact that the candidates from the past year did not lag behind those of the previous year and that some worked diligently, the results significantly fell short of the 2017 outcomes.

Furthermore, the ARF was scheduled to hold a general assembly in November, during which the leadership body, the Bureau, is elected, and the strategy for the upcoming years is determined. However, due to the snap parliamentary elections, the assembly has been postponed to January 15. It was expected that during this assembly, the entire Bureau would be reconstituted, especially with Hrant Margaryan stepping down from his post, which he has held since 2000. However, we have learned that during the election of the assembly delegates, Margaryan’s supporters "won," making it unlikely that he will be voted against or that another candidate will gain preference.

Yet, the results of the snap parliamentary elections and the upcoming Yerevan City Council elections have sparked serious discontent within the ARF, leading to an internal rebellion demanding the replacement of Hrant Margaryan and the leadership of the ARF altogether. They are being attributed to the wave of failures. How persistent this demand will be and whether a generational change can be implemented within the ARF will be seen in the coming months,” the newspaper writes.

The continuation is in today’s edition of the newspaper.