Even with use of massive administrative resources, Civil Contract failed to secure 50% of votes – Tigran Kocharyan

Sevak Khachatryan, leader of the Victory bloc, without administrative resources or any levers of influence, managed to gain in Etchmiadzin as many votes as Civil Contract member Argishti Mekhakyan did with the help of state resources, said Alpha News editor-in-chief Tigran Kocharyan, commenting on the results of the City Council elections in Vagharshapat held the day before.

“It cannot be said that the opposition suffered a shameful defeat, nor can it be said that the authorities achieved a crushing victory,” Kocharyan said.

According to him, unprecedented administrative resources were used. “Even using enormous administrative resources and levers of influence, the Civil Contract party failed to secure even 50 percent of the votes,” he said.

When asked what problems influence people’s political choices, Kocharyan said that everything will work out if the opposition manages to act properly in this direction. “Back in 2018, Pashinyan came with the slogan that the people are not ‘material’ for fines, but now people are fined for any reason. Expectations from Pashinyan were not fulfilled; he deceived the people. If the opposition manages to work properly in this direction, and all the people deceived and disappointed by the authorities take part in the elections and vote for new opposition forces, I believe success is achievable,” he said.

As for further developments, according to Kocharyan, it is necessary to wait for Pashinyan’s next steps, who promises to accelerate the resignation of His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians and the seizure of his residence. He concluded that opposition forces must take the situation more seriously, regroup, and prevent attempts to turn Armenia into a “Turkish vilayet.”