Will Suren Papikyan Be Punished? ‘Hraparak’
According to the ‘Hraparak’ newspaper, after the rigged election recount within the ruling party, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suggested at the inaugural meeting of the newly elected board to discuss how the falsification process unfolded, inspired by the motto ‘We are our mountains,’ but no one spoke up.
Pashinyan stated that the composition of the board is changing, with Hambardzum Matevosyan and Hayk Konjoryan being removed, while Arsen Torosyan and Armen Pambukhchyan are brought in, adding, ‘we will talk about the rest later.’
Within the party, there are opinions that Pashinyan should pursue and punish the election fraudsters who have jeopardized the party’s reputation. Some are confident that no one will escape justice; the first one to be punished was Trdat Sarkissyan, who was dismissed from his position as Chief of Staff of the party on Sunday. However, there are doubts about whether the main ‘culprit’ Suren Papikyan will be punished. If he is not, then Arpi Davoyan and others may also slip through the cracks. Not punishing Papikyan could indicate that Pashinyan has lost control and that he is no longer an ‘authority’ in the team, allowing certain individuals to override his authority.