Pashinyan Hints Opposition Will Resist Until Autumn If They Do Not Call Snap Elections

Yesterday, Nikol Pashinyan also convened a rally parallel to the opposition, which was considered a show of strength even in the ruling party’s backstage. Despite the unprecedented administrative resources used, the number of people gathered at Republic Square was few, with most either being police or state employees brought to the square. In fact, the government failed to even come close to their expected turnout.

What did Nikol Pashinyan say? Mostly nothing new. The topic of the "previous governments" is well-known and constant; he apologized, claiming that this is enough, but the meaning of the rally was essentially singular. Pashinyan offered the opposition a kind of "deal," suggesting that if they are confident that the public demands his resignation, they should go for snap elections.

At the same time, the thesis about transitioning to a semi-presidential system was intriguing. Pashinyan alluded that if snap elections do not take place, he would resist until autumn, make changes to the Constitution, transition to a semi-presidential system, and then presidential elections would be held. However, all this was presented with his unique pathos, shouting, and his ability to rally the crowd, while most importantly, with the immense populism which is the only successful aspect of this regime.

Evidence of this was the supposedly premeditated electoral slogan for the snap elections: “End to the Velvet Revolution.” Because, after all, on February 25, he himself admitted that his supporters wanted to hear that exact slogan.

Even a brief examination of social media after the rally shows that users mostly perceived the gathering as nonsensical, filled with hollow rhetoric and primarily staged with fake theses, aimed first and foremost at his team to demonstrate that he stands firm. Notably, both during the rally and especially after it, when Pashinyan began a march surrounded by hundreds of police (giving the impression that there were more police than participants), many from Republic Square quickly ascended to Baghramyan Avenue to join the opposition.