Political Cooperation Between Samvel Babayan and Arthur Vanetsyan Suspended

The political cooperation between Samvel Babayan, the former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, and Arthur Vanetsyan, the former director of the NSS and leader of the "Homeland" party, has been suspended. This was reported by the newspaper "Haykakan Jamanak".

“Two months ago, in early October, Babayan announced that he was starting a political collaboration with Vanetsyan, who could potentially be a candidate for Prime Minister in the elections of 2026. He also stated that they would support the candidate of the "Homeland" party, Khachik Manukyan, in the municipal elections of Ejmiatsin. Following this, the "Homeland" party declared that the cooperation was only in the context of the elections in Vagarshapat,” the report stated.

“After the Ejmiatsin elections, the collaboration was terminated, as Vanetsyan's team realized that Babayan had, to put it lightly, exaggerated his capabilities, claiming to have significant resources in the rural communities of Vagarshapat that could sway the elections in favor of the "Homeland" party. When the candidate from the "Homeland" party, the grieving poet Khachik Manukyan, received only 1,193 votes, or 3.8%, it became clear that the commander did not have any votes,” the newspaper wrote.