Opposition MP predicts coalition-style parliament

PanARMENIAN.Net - No political force will be able to secure 50 percent plus one vote on its own in the elections scheduled for June, said Garnik Danielyan, a member of parliament from the Hayastan faction.

According to him, a consolidation of political forces is currently taking place, Aysor.am reports.

“The political forces that have announced their participation in these elections are becoming stronger, blocs are forming, and consolidation among them is taking place. This is encouraging, because the goal of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the ruling force is to create an atmosphere where voters will not want to participate in the elections. They are trying to generate disappointment and apathy and create a background suggesting they have no problems, but that is a misconception,” the opposition MP said during a parliamentary briefing.

Commenting on the International Republican Institute (IRI) polls showing the Civil Contract party in the lead, Danielyan said it is difficult to speak about the objectivity of surveys in a situation where people can be dismissed from work over a Facebook “like” or their views, and even imprisoned.

“Considering the current situation in Armenia and the atmosphere of fear that has been demonstrated recently during meetings of the ruling party—when someone asks an ordinary question and receives such treatment—people naturally feel that fear,” he said.

According to him, most citizens avoid answering questions about elections.

Danielyan added that there is still sufficient time over the next three months for political forces to present their programs and assess the policies carried out by the Civil Contract party.

“We also have our own surveys, and they are quite encouraging and differ from these polls. According to our surveys, Civil Contract has no chance of returning to power. Their negative rating is the highest, and their percentages do not allow them to form a majority. On the contrary, several political poles have already formed that have much greater opportunities, which is reflected in those survey results,” he said.

He also stated that both polls and meetings with citizens show that the collective opposition has greater support than Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the forces backing him.

“The drop in Nikol Pashinyan’s rating cannot be reversed in any way,” Danielyan added, noting that his political force enjoys high support and that halls were filled during regional meetings.