Armenian PM warns rivals not to "act like alpha males"

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan launched a scathing attack on the opposition during an election campaign event in Yerevan, accusing rival political forces of pushing the country towards another war and warning opponents not to “act like alpha males”.

The campaign event, initially focused on social and economic issues, marked a sharp escalation in rhetoric from Armenia’s ruling party, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

Speaking to supporters, Pashinyan said pensioners’ purchasing power had improved significantly under his government, arguing that elderly citizens could now afford not only bread, but also household goods and footwear — something he claimed had been impossible under previous administrations.

Turning to foreign policy, the Armenian leader congratulated citizens on what he described as the establishment of peace in the region. He said the government was pursuing a pragmatic approach towards neighbouring countries, including Türkiye and Azerbaijan, stressing that Yerevan should prioritise dialogue with states with which it has direct issues rather than distant countries “like Australia”.

However, his remarks soon shifted towards fierce criticism of Armenia’s three main opposition blocs. Pashinyan accused his political opponents of deliberately steering the country towards renewed conflict because they believed their own children would avoid participating in any future war.

As part of his criticism, he referred to the fact that his own son had served on the frontline during the conflict and questioned where the children of opposition figures had been during the fighting.

According to Armenian media reports, Pashinyan also used inflammatory language against the families of some opposition politicians and threatened physical retaliation against those who, in his words, were “pretending to be alpha males”.

He reportedly warned opponents not to leave their homes, saying that “they will come for them”, and cautioned that otherwise the electoral process could “take a completely different course”.