Armenian Ex- FM: Government`s reliance on security structures creates  a serious legitimacy problem 

ArmInfo.Armenian authorities continue to rely on security structures in hopes of maintaining power, which creates a serious legitimacy problem, as stated by former Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian in a post on his Facebook page.

He called it obvious that the June 7 parliamentary elections did not  reflect the true will of the people. "I don't believe that the  current government actually won this election. In my opinion, the  elections were rigged and the results were distorted. I often hear  people say that neither the government nor the opposition won. I  disagree with this assessment. The total number of votes in the  elections is 100%. If the current government did receive a legitimate  majority, then these votes belong to the opposition as a whole. In my  opinion, their victory was simply taken away. Election irregularities  and falsification of results worked in two directions, like a saw. On  the one hand, they contributed to a decrease in the number of  opposition votes, and on the other, to an increase in the number of  government votes," Oskanian emphasized.

Oskanian highlighted that almost all polls published before election  day, both local and international, showed that support for Nikol  Pashinyan was around 35-40%. "In my opinion, this figure is closer to  reality. The remaining results, in my view, do not reflect the free  will of the citizens," he noted.

According to the former Foreign Minister, the reliance on security  structures to maintain power creates a problem that extends beyond  domestic legitimacy: "There is another, no less dangerous  consequence. The international community, friends of the Armenian  people, and other representatives of foreign countries may conclude  that the people of Armenia elected this government as a result of  free expression, even despite the heavy losses suffered by the  country in recent years and the humiliation of national dignity.   Such a perception could seriously undermine the reputation of Armenia  and the Armenian people and distort the understanding of the people's  real sentiments. In many ways, this is just as dangerous as the  existence of an illegitimate government," Oskanian believes,  expressing hope that this situation will be corrected in the near  future through legal and democratic means.