Artsakh protesters pledge voice in presidential election

PanARMENIAN.Net - Artsakh activist Nahapet Sargsyan, speaking to reporters after a meeting with Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan, addressed whether the protest group that had gathered at the Artsakh Representation has a presidential candidate of its own. According to Pastinfo, he confirmed that the group discussed the upcoming May 21 presidential election during the meeting.

“We talked about the key issues for the next 1.5 to 2 months and concluded that we will express our stance whether we want to or not. We’ll speak out from here and figure out who is who,” said Sargsyan.

He stressed the group opposes any candidacy: “There is a president of Artsakh, Samvel Shahramanyan, who placed his hand on the Constitution on September 10 and promised to stand with the people. But we no longer live in our country, and I believe that needs to be discussed.”

When asked whether Artsakh's institutions should be dissolved, Sargsyan replied no, but added that a formal answer on that issue will be made public in about 20 days.

“At the moment, we see that Shahramanyan’s activity is suspended. I could say Putin, Trump, Macron,” he added, implying broader forces might be involved.

When journalists noted that the world leaders he named had not commented on such matters, and referenced the Armenian prime minister’s statements, Sargsyan responded that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's involvement could not be ruled out.

“The Prime Minister says there won’t be a state within a state. I haven’t analyzed that yet. I’m waiting for further discussions to understand whether the Armenian government opposes [Artsakh’s structure] or not,” he said.

On April 18, protesters gathered outside the Artsakh Representation demanding President Shahramanyan address social issues and ensure the recovery of funds allegedly misappropriated by 48 families from Artsakh—amounting to $467 million. They claimed the funds had been transferred to Artsakh by Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan. At the protest’s outset, they also urged Shahramanyan to visit the Prosecutor’s Office to check the status of a criminal case opened 1.5 years ago.