Armenian political analysts do not believe in intensification of protests after change in electricity tariffs

In anticipation of the new decision to be announced by the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of Armenia concerning tariffs for electricity, the "Caucasian Knot" has addressed political analysts with the question of whether they expect a new wave of protests in Armenia.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in June 2015, the decision to raise tariffs on electricity resulted in mass protests in Armenia, during which the police used force.

"At present, there are no grounds for such protests, as they were last year," states political analyst Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute.

Meanwhile, according to him, there is a certain degree of dissatisfaction in the society, and it is connected, for example, with the Karabakh conflict and the prosecution of opposition activist Zhirair Sefilyan, who sharply criticized the actions of the Armenian authorities on resolution of the conflict. However, a serious ground is needed to consolidate a public outcry around those problems, and nothing of the kind takes place today.

Political analyst Manvel Sargsyan, Director of the Armenian Centre for National and International Studies, also believes that the problem of electricity tariffs is now of a minor importance in the country. According to Manvel Sargsyan, at present, the main problem for the Armenian society is the Karabakh conflict.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.