Nikol Pashinyan, the 'Masculine President,' Afraid of Direct Debate with the Armenian National Congress, Says Levon Zurabyan

Nikol Pashinyan, characterized as the 'masculine president,' has reportedly backed down from a direct debate with the Armenian National Congress. Levon Zurabyan, a member of the Congress, stated on his Facebook page that they have always suspected Pashinyan is terrified of criticism from the Congress because it transcends the realm of insults.

In his post, Zurabyan wrote: “Nikol Pashinyan had invited the first President, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, for a debate on public television scheduled for June 17. I responded that it would be a new humiliation for our country to have a debate between Ter-Petrosyan, a symbol of Armenia's victory, and Pashinyan, a symbol of Armenia's defeat and humiliation. I also stated that since I am not a symbol of Armenia's victory and if he really wants to debate the Armenian National Congress, I am ready to represent the Congress in the upcoming debate.”

Today, they received a response from Public Television, which rejected their participation in the June 17 debate. The explanation was supposedly that only the leading figures of the lists can participate in that debate. Those providing such a response have likely forgotten that this is not about presidential elections, where only candidates competing for a specific position could indeed participate. According to the current constitution, parliamentary elections are a competition of parties; therefore, parties should have equal rights to participate in the debate and choose who will represent them.

Thus, it seems that the 'masculine president,' Nikol Pashinyan, is indeed afraid of a direct debate with the Armenian National Congress. We have never doubted that he is terrified of criticism from the Congress, as it is based on irrefutable arguments that he has no response to, contrasting sharply with the realm of insults where he feels like a fish in water.