Appointment of New Deputies by Pashinyan Brings a Smile to Papikyan

According to the "Fact" newspaper, there have been circulating reports in the media for some time that Nikol Pashinyan's relationships, particularly with Suren Papikyan and Tigran Avinyan, are not smooth. There are indications that Pashinyan has 'expressed his dissatisfaction' with them on several occasions. These instances, by the way, have been particularly inconsequential, leading to the perception among our sources in the ruling party that the 'root of the problem' lies elsewhere. It is possible that the reason lies in the internal party 'makeovers', or perhaps it is the growing rating of Papikyan and Avinyan in contrast to Pashinyan's continuously declining approval ratings.

We have previously addressed the internal competition between Avinyan and Papikyan, who seek to strengthen their positions as key candidates to replace Pashinyan in case of his imminent resignation. It is evident that Pashinyan, being a flexible politician, cannot ignore these dynamics. As we have mentioned, it is possible that acute distrust compelled him to choose the position of the head of the ruling party's council.

Just the day before, he appointed Vahagn Aleksanyan and Gevorg Papoyan as his deputies, who are currently considered among Pashinyan's most loyal supporters. Interestingly, this appointment has been received with smiles by many in the ruling party, particularly Suren Papikyan. The point is that Papoyan and Aleksanyan are among the most vulnerable in the party, both due to their 'past' and the fact that they lack any serious long-term friendships with other party members. Nevertheless, they continuously express their unwavering loyalty to Pashinyan, becoming objects of ridicule and laughter within the party. However, as they say in the ruling party, Pashinyan needs exactly these types of people, which is typically who he relies on.

Additionally, our sources within the ruling party indicate that Papikyan and Avinyan do not rule out certain pressures on them, including inspections concerning their activities, incomes, and other related matters.

For more details, refer to the newspaper's latest issue.