Sharmazanov to Pashinyan: Armenia needs not so much a state-centric opposition as a state-centric government

ArmInfo. Armenia needs not so much a state-centric opposition as a state-centric government. This is how Eduard Sharmazanov, a member of the Executive Body of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and former deputy speaker of parliament, responded to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement on elections to local self-government bodies (LSGBs).

"Armenia’s non-governmental state-centric forces must become more active.  Naturally, we cannot help or assist them, but neither will we obstruct them in any way.  We are interested in forming in Armenia an opposition based on the interests of Armenia and its people," Sharmazanov quoted Pashinyan as saying.

He then asked rhetorically whether, by this statement, Pashinyan had admitted that all this time he had been "obstructing the opposition" and would stop doing so as soon as people acceptable to him took its place. "You will not obstruct it? That is, you admit that you are obstructing the opposition today, but will not obstruct your "opposition of the future"? Essentially, alongside the rule of Nikolism, you are moving toward creating a pocket opposition of Nikol, right? And yet you were the "bulwark of democracy"—where are free competition and equal opportunities?" the RPA member asked.

He also drew attention to the fact that, against the backdrop of what is happening in Armenia, the RPA has not seen a single statement from the European Union (EU). Sharmazanov noted that such a situation would have been impossible to imagine when their political force was in power. "If the government of the "Republican Party of Armenia" had made a similar statement, the "defenders of democracy" from the EU would have nailed us to the pillory of shame. Cynicism has become blatant and disgusting, while at the same time the "Civil Contract" party is in fact about to begin forming an opposition to its own liking. Why? So that together, in peace and harmony, "hand in hand," they can lead the state toward predictable Azerbaijaniization?" the Republican asked.

In connection with the above, Sharmazanov once again emphasized that the Armenian state and people need not a change of opposition, but a change of government. "And in the interests of the state, there should be not a government that is "washing its hands" of the Declaration of Independence, but a new government that recognizes and defends the collective interests of Armenia and the Armenian people," the former deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament concluded.

It should be noted that on his Facebook page, Pashinyan published a video address in which he stated that, based on the results of the LSGB elections, he could say that "the three-headed party of war has been destroyed." He then added that, in his opinion, a new, state-oriented opposition should be formed in the country. He also called for hearings to be organized on this issue.