Political analysts find Armenian opposition incapable of achieving Pashinyan's resignation

The opposition in Armenia is not strong enough to force Nikol Pashinyan to resign, Armenian political analysts have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in November 2020, after signing the peace agreement with Azerbaijan, protest actions began in Armenia. Supporters of the opposition are seeking resignation of Nikol Pashinyan, who had signed the agreement, from the post of head of the Cabinet (Premier).

According to Alexander Iskandaryan, a political analyst and the director of the Caucasus Institute, the political forces, except for the "My Step" Party, are united only negatively, not positively. "They are united against Pashinyan, not by a single positive programme," Mr Iskandaryan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The weak opposition, which cannot spin up street protests, shows the ruling power that elections can be avoided. "To talk the case away, relatively speaking," Iskandaryan said. Therefore, "My Step" can either simply cancel elections, or appoint them and try to win right now, gaining some 40% and after that legitimize itself not for the remaining three years, but for five ones.

"I don't see that Pashinyan is going to resign; and I see no reasons for this. Top officials don't resign; they are forced to do it. I see no forces able to force him to resign. We are back in the days of the late Republicans: a split weak opposition and a weak not very popular government," Mr Iskandaryan has summed up.

"Most of the Armenian opposition lost its arrogance when, in the first days of protests, the ruling party directly asked them whether they were against the trilateral agreement of November 9. It turned out that no one was against it. Thus, the reason for Pashinyan's resignation was levelled," Naira Airumyan, a political commentator and the editor of the analytical edition "Lragir.am", has noted.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 22, 2021 at 07:31 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.