Why Nikol Pashinyan-Arsen Torosyan Relations Have Tense

The newspaper "Zhoghoyd" reports that Nikol Pashinyan, during a press conference, addressed the criticisms from Arsen Torosyan, a member of the "Civil Contract" faction, stating: "I appreciate Mr. Torosyan's efforts to defend the rights of the person he worked with in difficult circumstances and to draw attention to the need for their protection. This is further evidence of what a democratic party "Civil Contract" is. The legal answer to the question will be given by the court if the case reaches that stage."

Specifically, Arsen Torosyan had previously described the case against his deputy (Georgy Simonian) as contrived. Pashinyan also noted: "There are clergymen in our country who do not believe in God. It is not a great tragedy if any deputy does not trust the judicial system," said Pashinyan. To the remark that, 'You are not believed,' the Prime Minister added, "Moreover, it is not a great tragedy." So, what sparked the conflict between Arsen Torosyan and Nikol Pashinyan?

According to "Zhoghoyd," their relations soured after the elections of the "Civil Contract" party's board held in November 2022, which were rigged and resulted in a recount. Why did this upset Pashinyan? The reason is that upon coming to power, Nikol Pashinyan considered free and fair elections that are not falsified as his biggest accomplishment during various press conferences and speeches. It turns out, however, that elections were indeed falsified within his own team, and the one contesting this was Arsen Torosyan.

Pashinyan's words were effectively refuted by his own party members. Furthermore, Pashinyan blames Arsen Torosyan for leaks to the press. It should be noted that revelations from the Audit Chamber became public last year, and only now is the investigation intensifying because Pashinyan had not been diligently directing the case to move forward. Times have changed now, and he is punishing Arsen Torosyan for undermining his political ideology.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.