Aragats Akhoyan: I Smell a Bad "Scent" from This—Let Them Go with Some Other Option

According to the "Haykakan Zhamanak" newspaper, regarding the snap parliamentary elections, they spoke with Aragats Akhoyan, a member of the "Hayahavak" initiative and a former MP.

Mr. Akhoyan, will you participate in the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for June 20? We are still in the phase of deliberations. "Hayahavak"—our movement—will certainly become a political force. And there are various options, meaning either through a coalition or separately; we are still discussing. But in any case, we are inclined to think that these elections should not take place first and foremost. We believe that under this government, elections cannot be conducted under any auspices. Especially under Nikol Pashinyan’s premiership.

What powers are you currently discussing? What is your relationship with the "Third Force" initiative? We have stated that the forces that are involved in the process of removing Nikol Pashinyan will stand beside them. Are you in contact with the "Third Force" now? We are not cooperating, but we are not against it either, because our demands are the same and our interests align.

If you participate in the elections, in what order will you be—rating or proportional? Of course, proportional. The rating system is a disgrace because it creates an agitation with this incorrect competition. The competition starts first within any party before it moves against other political forces. And can you imagine finding so many candidates and getting all of them to engage in the elections? It is a bit of a complex process. I think that proportional lists are more appropriate because, in that case, the party's ideology is already present. The individuals who will be included in that party's proportional list will already hint at their quality and the track record of those individuals.

What programs do you plan to participate with? The programs are still in the drafting phase for both foreign policy and the economy, as well as domestic policy. If the elections take place, we will present them, at that time it will be clear.

In the context of the coronavirus, how do you think the elections should be conducted? I cannot imagine how they will hold the campaigns or conduct the elections. But we might also take in a bad “scent” from that and they may go with some other option. Just as education has moved online, they might think of some “monkey” idea that our society is not ready for. This will reduce the participation number, or I don’t know what will happen. Let Nikol think about how he will conduct the campaign. And how many thousands of police will he bring to prevent heads from being cracked during the campaign.