Pashinyan has abandoned image of ‘ultra-democrat’ – Dmitry Solonnikov

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist Dmitry Solonnikov analyzed the actions of the Armenian authorities ahead of the 2026 elections.

“I believe Pashinyan has already abandoned the image of an ultra-democrat, and he doesn’t need it at all. He used that slogan and that image to protest in 2018 and earlier, when he was the leader of the opposition faction in parliament. That’s it, that’s no longer necessary: now, on the contrary, he’s projecting the image of a strong, determined leader—effectively a semi-dictator with a rigid system of governance. This is popular worldwide. We see many European and Latin American leaders presenting themselves in this image, and he fits into that mold. There’s no opposition—there’s only one unified opinion. He’s expressed his opinion, and anyone who opposes it must be eliminated.

The elected mayor, an opposition politician and businessman, one of the region’s largest entrepreneurs, members of the clergy… There’s no one he can’t arrest, and he’s demonstrating it: ‘I exist, and no one else has the right to an independent opinion!’ In parliament, only the MPs from the government faction who support him have a voice. This is the image of a strong, determined man who runs for office to win—not to compete over who will best represent Armenia, not to offer competing visions for its future.

In many ways, this approach aligns with how certain Western politicians envision Armenia’s governance. This is precisely how they envision Armenia’s future governance—a leader who knows how to implement his decisions. A significant portion of the Armenian population also embraces this image. So, it’s entirely logical that both contribute to the current image and its actions,” the political scientist said.