Remaining Party Leader and Saying 'I Won't Participate': Kocharian on Serge Sargsyan

“I do not have the right to speak on behalf of other presidents, and I do not want to talk. Regarding myself, the 2021 elections showed that I have some influence, some capacity for mass consolidation. Now imagine if I hadn't participated in 2021,” stated former president Robert Kocharian, addressing the opinions expressed by Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan and others that he should withdraw from politics for the sake of victory over Prime Minister Pashinyan.

He reminded of the parliament formed in the aftermath of the 2018 elections: “Are the votes sufficient with my participation? No, they are not sufficient. We would like other forces to be created as well, with which cooperation would lead to a change in the situation.” He also mentioned that his team would participate in the elections.

Kocharian noted that Armenia's first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, is the leader of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), and the ANC is also participating in the elections. The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), whose leader is Serge Sargsyan, has participated in all elections: “Now, does the party’s participation mean the leader's participation or not... Of course.” In response to the observation that Sargsyan did not head the list, he remarked, “Yes, but didn’t anyone know that face when you start the campaign? The first president participated with his face. What is better—are you not visible personally, but you are the one making all the decisions, or are you appearing personally and saying that I am not doing this masquerade? What is better: to remain the party leader and say, ‘Am I not participating?’ Then who is participating? The party is participating, so he is participating as well.”

Regarding his potential participation, he stated, “If someone from our team appears who can gather more votes according to sociology, I would be happy to see that.”