ArmInfo. Karen Karapetyan's figure is visible behind single opposition candidate Vazgen Manukyan. Chairman of the Public Council of Armenia, political scientist Stepan Safaryan, expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
"Based on many sources of information, I can say that during the 44-day war there were many signs in favor of Karen Karapetyan's candidacy for the post of Prime Minister of Armenia. Moreover, the plan of 2018 provided that Karen Karapetyan will become the prime minister after the revolution," he said. Safaryan stressed that the figure of Serzh Sargsyan then became too odious and undesirable not only for the people of Armenia, but also for its main ally - Russia. But the too stubborn "velvet revolution" confused all the cards.
To note, on December 15, former Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan issued a statement in which he expressed his hope that Nikol Pashinyan would show courage in making a decision to leave the post of prime minister. ". According to Safaryan, the parade of demands for Pashinyan's resignation is laying a path for Karen Karapetyan. With a very high degree of probability for Moscow the latter is the most acceptable candidate for the leader of Armenia.
At the same time, Safaryan considers it necessary to state that, nevertheless, part of society, even disappointed with the current government and having deep respect for Russia, is a categorical opponent of the return of the former regime representatives. And, against this background, several thousand protesters on the street demanding Pashinyan's resignation are not yet capable of creating a situation for a complete reformat of political life. "At the same time, one should not completely exclude the risks of instability in Armenia. It is fundamentally wrong to completely ignore any protest, regardless of the number of its participants. But in any case, the current protest only partially reflects public sentiments. This is precisely why new players are constantly appearing trying to strengthen the agenda of Pashinyan's resignation, " the chairman of the Public Council summed up.