What Does It Mean to be the 'Leader of the Opposition'? Robert Kocharian

The second President of Armenia and Prime Minister candidate, Robert Kocharian, has given an interview to RTVI's 'Special Interview' program.

In response to the journalist's observation that according to both American and Armenian sociologists, Samvel Karapetyan is in the second place after Pashinyan, and that he is considered the leader of the opposition in Armenia, Kocharian expressed disagreement.

He noted that the opposition landscape today is much more competitive and that Samvel Karapetyan's team started their campaign as early as September-October, while his own team began only a month ago.

According to Kocharian, sociology in Armenia often becomes a tool for influencing public opinion rather than a means of measuring the political situation. When addressing the term 'leader of the opposition,' the former president stated, 'I do not agree with this phrasing. What does it mean to be the 'leader of the opposition'? There are several quite large opposition formats, each of which claims to be victorious, each is inclined towards victory, and reducing the opposition landscape to one individual is simply politically and politically-technologically illiterate.'

He explained that a leader should unite the entire opposition, which is not the case at this moment. Kocharian also emphasized that compared to previous elections, the opposition has strengthened.

Reflecting on his past role, he noted that while he has played leading roles, he has not been a general leader. 'You can be at the forefront according to sociology, according to the scale of conducted events, but you are not a leader for other opposition parties; these are entirely different things,' he added.

According to the former president, all opposition forces have one common goal: to rid themselves of the current government. He concluded that if there were a single unifying leader, the opposition would merge into a single political entity; however, since this has not occurred, one can only speak of 'sociological leadership.'