Pashinyan’s support is not Armenian citizens, but Aliyev: now it’s official

On November 22, Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to AMPTV (Public Television of Armenia), mainly addressing not the Armenian people or even a single group of these people—Pashinyan’s voters—but his real support in power, that is, Azerbaijan.

To understand this, it is necessary to analyze “two referendum issues” that Pashinyan raised during an hour and a half conversation with a journalist of the Public Television of Armenia.

1. Pashinyan proposed to put to a referendum the issue of eliminating speed meters on the roads. Recall that their elimination was Nikol Pashinyan’s promise from the “distant 2018”. Pashinyan preferred to shift responsibility for the implementation (or non-implementation) of his promise to the Armenian citizens, including his voters. He suggested those who wish to initiate the collection of signatures and submit a bill to the National Assembly for consideration. Moreover, as Pashinyan noted, if 300 thousand signatures are collected in support of the initiative and the issue is put to a referendum, he will not campaign either for or against the elimination of speed meters.

2. The second issue concerns the amendment of the Constitution in case it does not comply with the so-called peace agreement with Baku. Pashinyan noted that if Armenia and Azerbaijan sign an agreement, the government should send it to the Constitutional Court. “If the Constitutional Court decides that the agreement contradicts our Constitution, we will have to make a choice: either change the Constitution or abandon the agreement,” he said. In other words, Pashinyan did not rule out holding a referendum at Azerbaijan’s request.

But during this referendum, Pashinyan will definitely campaign. Moreover, he can once again take to the streets of towns and villages with a hammer in his hands and declare that “after the referendum on constitutional changes, with the support of Ilham Aliyev, he will definitely return all the loot and will scatter the money stolen from the people from the balcony of the government building.”

In many ways, this shows that Pashinyan’s support is not the people who are worried about the number of surveillance cameras, and he will not rely on them when trying to maintain power. He will rely on Aliyev. Therefore, in one case he will initiate and campaign, and in the other he will not.

One of the “talking heads” of Ilham Aliyev, Chair of the Center for the Analysis of International Relations Farid Shafiyev, presented the expected outlines of the future referendum, mentioning demilitarization (disarmament) of Armenia as one of Baku’s demands. With a referendum, Pashinyan can “push through a decision” on turning Armenia into a country with non-aligned status, which will lead to the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Armenia and will become one of the main acts of demilitarization of the Armenian state.

Think about it…