Political analysts treat parliamentary elections as way out of crisis in Armenia

The political crisis in Armenia has not only led to opposition fragmentation, but also exacerbated social and economic problems; therefore, the agreement on holding parliamentary elections was the optimal decision, the analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 18, the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, announced that parliamentary elections would take place on June 20 this year. An agreement on this was reached after consultations with members of parliamentary parties, he said.

The agreement on the election date is of political nature, said Armen Badalyan, a political strategist. "Firstly, the government wants to understand the society's attitude, in particular, to Pashinyan's policy on the future fate of Nagorno-Karabakh. Secondly, the Premier could not endlessly ignore the viewpoints of the political elites amid a breakdown in the system of power," Mr Badalyan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Also, the appointment of parliamentary elections helps to reduce pressure from the West and slow down the escalation of social problems, he said. "Thirdly, there is a factor of external partners, in particular, Western ones. After the signing of the trilateral statement, Pashinyan spoke with the French President only once. External partners do not know whether the Premier is legitimate or not. And, fourthly, the state of the country and an absence of investment; economic problems, which would inevitably lead to social problems; all these has caused the decision to go to early elections," Mr Badalyan has concluded, adding that the announcement of the date of early elections will also ease political tensions.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 19, 2021 at 10:35 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.