The collapse of Karapetyan’s political triad Money does not solve everything

The scandal surrounding the Strong Armenia party is highly indicative in nature and, in essence, becomes a litmus test of the state of the opposition in the neighbouring country.

The statement by the Anti-Corruption Committee on the revealed facts of vote-buying in the Ararat community of the Ararat region was not a sensation; rather, it merely formalised what had long been discussed in expert and public circles. Thus, according to official information, we are talking about an entire group of individuals acting in a coordinated manner and using internet applications to conceal their communications. A criminal case has already been initiated, searches have been conducted, and more than a dozen people have been detained. However, in this case, what is far more important is not the fact of the criminal prosecution itself, but the context in which it emerged.

Today, it is unlikely that many in Armenia seriously doubt the validity of such accusations. Too much suggests that the Strong Armenia party was created as a political project relying not on ideology or systematic work with the electorate, but on the financial resources of its founder, Samvel Karapetyan. This oligarch essentially decided to transfer the logic of corporate management into politics. Moreover, he did so in the most simplified form: he created a party, invested resources in it, and is attempting to quickly convert money into political influence.

However, as is well known, politics is not a startup. It is not enough to simply “invest” and expect a return in the form of votes. This is especially true when the initiator of the project himself is under investigation. Karapetyan is involved in a case in which he has been charged with calls to seize power, money laundering, fraud, and tax evasion. Such a “bundle” of accusations in itself shapes a certain perception of the political figure.

However, despite this, Karapetyan is firmly convinced of his ability to “solve problems” regardless of their complexity or legal nature, following the well-known principle that “the end justifies the means.” This trait may well have helped him accumulate substantial wealth, and he is now actively applying it in the political sphere. This is most likely the source of his logic: if the goal is to win parliamentary elections, then any available tool can be used — in the case of a wealthy individual, this includes money itself, including in the form of direct or indirect voter bribery.

However, the oligarch failed to take into account a key point: such an agenda does not constitute a strategy and does not answer the fundamental questions: “What comes next?” “What course is being offered to the country — what reforms, what solutions, what priorities?” The Strong Armenia party, whose programme is reduced to a single objective — to prevent another victory of the ruling Civil Contract party led by Nikol Pashinyan in the parliamentary elections — has no coherent answers to these questions.

At the same time, this political structure is actively operating in another dimension — the technological one. For instance, Samvel Karapetyan has declined participation in public debates with the incumbent prime minister, yet the electorate is being offered various video addresses on social media which, according to Armenian media reports, may be generated using artificial intelligence. In this context, the recent scandal involving the blocking of Narek Karapetyan’s Facebook page also appears highly symptomatic, reportedly triggered by the amplification of likes and comments through fake accounts.

Thus, a coherent mosaic is taking shape. On the one hand, there is financial capital and an attempt to quickly convert it into political results; on the other, the absence of an institutional foundation and the need to compensate for it through technologies of manipulation — from social media boosting to, as the investigation claims, direct vote-buying.

In light of this, it can be argued that the entire concept of the Strong Armenia party rests on the notorious triad of “money – manipulation – falsification,” with which its representatives, apparently, intend to “go and govern the Armenian people.” However, it is reasonable to assume that they are in for a profound disappointment, as something similar has already occurred in the country’s history, and its citizens remember very well what it led to.