Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has claimed that former President Serzh Sargsyan, despite claims of skipping the upcoming elections, is actively backing the Strong Armenia party in an effort to restore the old political coalition, effectively running for office behind the scenes.
Earlier in April, former President Serzh Sargsyan – whom Pashinyan-led demonstrations removed from office in 2018 – said his Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) had decided to opt out of the 2026 parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 7, in order to avoid “dividing the opposition arena” even further.
Speaking at a press briefing on April 23, Pashinyan described the claim that Sargsyan is not running as a “fake narrative.”
He indicated that the Strong Armenia party, a newly formed political force led by business tycoon Samvel Karapetyan and running for parliament this year, has Sargsyan’s endorsement, with several high-ranking Republicans attending Strong Armenia rallies.
“In the previous elections, Serzh Sargsyan participated with the ‘I Have Honor’ alliance, and in these elections, he is participating with ‘Strong Armenia.’ First, he has publicly expressed his support for that force; second, the entire known group has been attending their rallies, and in today’s electoral process, they seek revenge and aim to restore the 2006 coalition — ARF-Dashnaktsutyun, Prosperous Armenia, and the Republican Party of Armenia. There is no other story behind this. Before 2018, it seemed that there were liberals in the political field, I don’t know, with different views. So, what has now become clear? It has become clear that, for example, [former President] Levon Ter-Petrosyan is a pure ARF member. Moreover, the most unsuccessful ARF member. The rest was a performance, it was a game,” Pashinyan said, referring to ex-President Ter-Petrosyan’s public endorsement of Strong Armenia despite his own party, the ANC, formally running for office.
Pashinyan described the upcoming parliamentary elections as a “unique opportunity” to “oust” the representatives of the former governments from the political arena.
“I believe that these elections are a unique opportunity for us to simply oust criminal-oligarchic former officials from the political arena. I see that opportunity, I see it in my interactions with people,” Pashinyan said.
Pashinyan has repeatedly described Strong Armenia, the Armenia Alliance led by former President Robert Kocharyan (which includes ARF), and the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, as a “tripartite war party” that risks plunging the country into war, while he has argued that his Civil Contract party is a party of peace. The opposition forces have rejected the accusations.
Published by Armenpress, original at
—
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Hambardsumian Paul. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2026/04/24/pm-pashinyan-june-7-elections-a-key-chance-to-kick-out-criminal-oligarchic/