Will the Armenian citizens give Aliyev a “mandate to govern Armenia”?

On February 1, with a difference of several minutes, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan delivered identical speeches. They both declared the need to change the Constitution of Armenia and abandon the Declaration of Independence. Moreover, Ilham Aliyev no longer hides that “remote control” for Nikol Pashinyan and the whole of Armenia is in his hands.

In his speech today, Ilham Aliyev also demonstrated that he will not “pity” Nikol Pashinyan and will demand a revision of not only the Constitution of Armenia but also changes in almost all legislation of Armenia, the foundations of our statehood. Aliyev demonstrated that Pashinyan is an “unlimited card” for Baku and Ankara, with Turkey and Azerbaijan intending to use this “unlimited card” to the fullest.

In the light of the Azerbaijani president’s statements, a possible referendum on the adoption of a new constitution can already be called an act of granting Aliyev a mandate to govern Armenia.

Since the very beginning of 2024, we have been saying that Nikol Pashinyan is a political bankrupt. His statements concerning the prospects of signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan were personally destroyed by Aliyev earlier this year. The narrative that, by surrendering Artsakh and opening the border with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia, and, accordingly, Pashinyan’s voters, will have economic growth has also been destroyed. Baku refuses to sign the peace treaty. Turkey and Azerbaijan refuse to open the border.

Under the circumstances, Pashinyan understands perfectly well that these facts “shake his prime minister’s chair”, and in order to fill the political void, he has been staging political performances since the beginning of the year. Earlier this year, he traveled around the districts and checked the quality of repairs; today, he is arresting members of his team.

The political void “works wonders”, and members of Pashinyan’s own team are already “under attack”, with the Deputy Minister of Economy, Ani Ispiryan, and the wife of Alen Simonyan’s brother, Ani Gevorgyan, being detained.

Given the fact that the current Armenian authorities know no limits—from concessions to Azerbaijan to giving bonuses to themselves—Nikol Pashinyan may even arrest himself to fill the political void. Don’t be surprised; we may well see this as well. However, the element of this political show does not exclude the fact that Armenia is approaching catastrophic upheaval with Nikol Pashinyan’s hands. No amount of political shows will change this reality…

Think about it…