New Elections under New Prime Minister's Leadership: Andranik Tevanyan

“Nikol Pashinyan instigated the situation and led the country to capitulation, and a new government should be formed only after his removal. After addressing certain internal and external issues and stabilizing the situation, new elections must be organized.” This was stated by Andranik Tevanyan, director of the Political Economy Research Institute, in an interview with Tert.am today, discussing the early elections that the authorities have been mentioning.

It is noteworthy that after the signing of the capitulation act, when opposition forces and society began demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation, he universally responded that the only way to address all these questions was through early parliamentary elections. According to Pashinyan, the public has not yet demanded his resignation.

“New elections should take place under a new prime minister. I believe this approach is the most optimal and political. The reason the authorities have not even proceeded to the early elections they have spoken about is related to the correct magnitude of public pressure. Everything depends on the strength of public pressure, as our society is still in post-war shock and hundreds of thousands of people are not out in the streets demanding the removal of this government,” he said.

However, according to Tevanyan, this does not change the situation and absolutely does not mean that the government has public support. “The government has a very low degree of legitimacy and cannot in any way defend the interests of the Republic of Armenia.”

The director of the Political Economy Research Institute declined to comment on the authorities’ claim that the public does not demand their resignation and only in that case will they go for early elections. “I will not comment on their nonsense. In any case, this is a matter of public decision; our society must decide to change, and therefore it surely will change. I think the opposition should also, at least, make changes in its strategy, seek to present broader social, political, and socio-economic messages, and provide a vision of what will happen, proposing a proper team that will lead the country out of this situation,” Tevanyan emphasized.

According to him, if such adjustments are made by the opposition, their steps will lead to the right direction, as one thing is clear: there is a nationwide, societal, and political consensus on the demand for Nikol Pashinyan's resignation. “No one disputes this issue; it is just a question of choosing the right tools to solve it.”