While we are all busy with scenes, most of which are staged by Nikol Pashinyan with his provincial taste, the National Assembly made changes to the Electoral Code in the last four days, during the first reading. Here is what is written in the text of the legislative initiative that passed the first reading.
"If the military or state of emergency was declared after the beginning of the period for nominating candidates for the National Assembly or local government elections until the moment of summarizing the preliminary results of the elections and validating them with the minutes, then the electoral process is considered suspended by force of law from the moment of the declaration of the military or state of emergency. The resumption of the electoral process necessarily implies the organization and holding of a new vote."
Nikol Pashinyan, in fact, is creating legal foundations in order to establish institutional authoritarianism in the country, cancel electoral institutions, and usurp power. Nikol Pashinyan fears that even administrative resources or election frauds cannot guarantee the reproduction of his power in 2026, and in case of an undesirable course of elections, he creates legislative grounds to cancel them. Moreover, this legislative initiative, which was adopted by the National Assembly in the first reading, also creates grounds for external intervention, because Pashinyan can establish a military or emergency state, first of all, with the "support" of the country/countries hostile to Armenia.
On behalf of the "Democratic Alternative" party, I call on all political forces to put aside political and ideological differences and not allow the amendments to the EC until they are adopted by the National Assembly in the second reading and ratified by the president. Power usurpation, encroachment against the constitutional order and electoral institutions should not be tolerated in Armenia.
Political scientist Suren Surenyants
