Media: Armenian prime minister prepares for snap elections

Discussions regarding early parliamentary elections in Armenia have intensified, fueled by suspicions surrounding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's recent activities.

An article by the Armenian newspaper Hraparak suggests that Prime Minister Pashinyan's recent regional visits and public engagements with his wife may signal preparations for early elections, as reported by Caliber.Az.

"These suspicions become more justified against the backdrop of demands that have been constantly voiced from Azerbaijan in recent weeks regarding changes to the Constitution of Armenia. Recently, Yerevan and Baku stated that, on the one hand, they have already agreed on 80% of the text of the peace treaty, but on the other hand, they did not specify which particular provisions they cannot reach an agreement on. Judging by the rhetoric of Azerbaijani officials, the main demand from this country at the current stage is changes to the Constitution of Armenia, from which references to the Declaration of Independence should be removed.

Although Nikol Pashinyan's government has recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, Pashinyan and his team consider it their sacred duty to promote Azerbaijani theses every day, stating that Nagorno-Karabakh has always been Azerbaijan, and the Constitutional Court's decision of September 26 effectively nullified the fundamental document, even this does not satisfy Azerbaijan.

Baku wants to sign a peace document not with Pashinyan, but with Armenia, as stated by Azerbaijani officials. Official Baku is concerned that the next government of Armenia may challenge Nikol Pashinyan's decisions and declare them unconstitutional, so they are trying to preempt such a scenario. Although Nikol Pashinyan and other Armenian officials have made numerous statements and public assurances regarding constitutional changes, denying that this is a demand from Azerbaijan, he has instructed the Constitutional Reform Commission to present a reform concept by December 2026. However, these assurances clearly do not satisfy Baku. From there, the demand to change the Constitution is repeated almost daily.

Apparently, Pashinyan no longer has the resources to resist, and he has decided to meet yet another demand from Baku. However, before holding a constitutional referendum, he will conduct early elections; otherwise, the referendum is doomed to fail. Only in the context of public shock from his election victory will he be able to quickly implement the referendum, presenting it as a vote of confidence. With a victory in the elections, he will silence everyone, and if necessary, he may even falsify the results of the referendum. It should be noted that current legislation prohibits holding extraordinary elections one year before the regular elections, which means that if the authorities intend to hold extraordinary elections, they must be conducted before June 21 of next year," the publication states.

By Vugar Khalilov