A school principal in Armenia has rejected the idea that teachers are being recruited for a propaganda campaign.
The invitation to teachers to a meeting with a representative of Armenia's ruling party was not a use of administrative resources, but rather a notification of the opportunity to personally ask questions of the governor, explained the principal of a school in the village of Byurakan.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, reports of the ruling party's abuse of administrative resources have already surfaced during the Armenian election campaign. For example, on May 15, former ombudsman Arman Tatoyan, who heads the Wings of Unity party's candidate list, stated that college students in Armavir were forced to participate in a campaign event in the interests of the Civil Contract party.
On May 13, teachers and students from schools in the Aragatsotn region took part in a campaign event for the ruling party instead of attending classes. Involving public sector employees and schoolchildren in election campaigning contradicts the Electoral Code, the electoral commission reminded. Ruling party representatives distanced themselves from the incident, but observers and the teachers themselves confirmed the violation.
Ahead of the Aragatsotn region governor's visit to the village of Byurakan, the local school administration called on the teaching staff to attend a meeting with him, News.am reported today.
"Children were also sent a message urging them to attend a meeting with members of the Civil Contract," the newspaper wrote.
Hraparak Daily reported today, citing a voicemail addressed to teachers, that the school principal is "gathering people for a rally."
"The principal instructs teachers to attend a meeting with the governor and his team, noting as a bonus that there will be a concert there. Administrative leverage? No, you haven't heard of it; they are attending the rally "of their own free will and with great joy," the newspaper reported. publications.
In the audio recording, the school principal asks teachers to gather near the village administration to meet the governor and members of his team, Sputnik Armenia reports. "There will also be many guests. Esteemed teachers, I ask you to be present as well," the publication quotes the address.
I notified them that he would be coming to the village so they could present their questions to him.
Acting school principal Varsenik Vardanyan, commenting on the audio recording, explained to the publication that her words were not a call to action. "Let's start with the fact that I did not call anyone. The teachers have questions for our governor, I notified them that he would be coming to the village so they could present their questions to him," the publication quotes her explanation.
As a reminder, parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for June 7. Seventeen parties and two blocs have been admitted to the elections. The "Strong Armenia" bloc of businessman Samvel Karapetyan, the "Armenia" bloc of former President Robert Kocharyan, and the "Prosperous Armenia" party of oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan are the most pro-Russian participants in the upcoming elections. According to analysts, the parties of Samval Karapetyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Robert Kocharyan will be the key competitors in the elections.
The promises of the four main political forces participating in the parliamentary elections concerned poverty reduction, job creation, pension increases, and GDP growth. According to analysts, most of these promises are simply populism.
The "second league" parties, which have fewer supporters than the ruling party's main opponents, in their election platforms announced an end to pressure on the church, reform of the judicial system, and strengthening of the country's security, including a revision of the peace treaty with Baku. Political analysts predict that not all of these four parties will be able to enter parliament.
The June elections will effectively be a referendum on the future of Nikol Pashinyan's rule and Armenia's foreign policy course. At stake is the current team's retention of power or its transfer to the opposition, which promises to reconsider key decisions of recent years, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia".