YEREVAN. – I now know that the extra-parliamentary forces will again try to use some resources. National Assembly (NA) vice speaker Alen Simonyan, a member of the majority My Step faction, on Friday told this to reporters the NA, regarding the forthcoming snap parliamentary elections in Armenia.
“I assure you that law enforcement agencies can and will engage in activities that will not allow the accepted logic of distributing money and the tricks that were used during the past 20 years,” he added.
To the question, how he assesses the chances of the government fighting with these forces, Simonyan said that he assesses these chances highly. “Because all the forces you mentioned held the elections with fraud; even when they were in power, they could not be elected without [electoral] fraud.”
To the question whether the government will manage to go to the aforesaid elections with the new Electoral Code, the NA vice speaker said that respective discussions were in progress.
Referring to the question why it was decided to go for snap elections taking into account that before that it was announced that there was no public demand for such elections, Alen Simonyan responded that they did not say that there was no demand for early elections. “We have said that the agenda formed by the opposition is not right; the opposition had not even made that demand. (…). The government, in fact, was the only political force that had openly announced and proposed to go for snap elections.”
To the question, proceeding from the security considerations of the country, to what extent is it expedient to hold elections at this moment, the NA vice speaker responded: “It is proceeding from the country’s security considerations that elections should be held today because the country cannot be in constant turmoil.”
Alen Simonyan did not deny a reporter’s observation that the popularity rating of the ruling power has decreased. “But I can say that we will try to bring it back during the [election] campaign. I am confident that the ruling force will win the elections again,” he added.
When asked whether the election campaign will contribute to the increase of the coronavirus cases in Armenia, the NA vice speaker said that there was such an issue. “But there are issues that are much more important,” he added.
Referring to the actions of the opposition and its closing off of Marshal Baghramyan Avenue—across the parliament building, Simonyan said: “We understand that the opposition wants to provoke any clash (…). Today, in fact, the 17 [opposition] forces are in an impasse. They dream that the police will take some action and they will be able to leave that street, saving their face.”
Simonyan added that PM Nikol Pashinyan will be the acting premier until the elections.
And to the oppositionists’ remarks that Pashinyan is being surrounded by many policemen in order to go to a state organization, and therefore how he will go to the election campaign, Alen Simonyan said: “All the leaders of the Republic of Armenia have always acted under the same security rules. Also, we [Armenia] are under martial law, and the security of the prime minister is a priority. (…). There are security norms that will be observed because there has been an encroachment on the life of the prime minister.”