Political analyst: After dubious elections, Armenian authorities   start  to tighten the screws

ArmInfo. Following the recent parliamentary elections, Armenian authorities have focused on  preventing ant attempts to challenge the results by intensufying  pressure on opposition forces, as stated by political analyst and  economist Hrant Mikaelyan in an interview with an ArmInfo  correspondent.

When asked to assess recent developments in the country, including  the detentions of political figures, the political analyst noted that  the processes unfolding in the country are primarily political rather  than legal in nature.  Mikaelyan drew particular attention to the  fact that the strongest pressure is currently being exerted on Gagik  Tsarukyan, leader of the "Prosperous Armenia" party.

"Following the dubious elections, the authorities began to 'tighten  the screws' and focused on preventing any contestation of the  results, specifically through  repressions against the opposition. In  this case, the pressure is most actively directed at Gagik Tsarukyan.  It is important to emphasize that this process is primarily political  in nature, not legal. It turns out that as soon as Tsarukyan secured  4%—and all election data indicates he achieved the necessary  percentage to enter parliament—he is being punished for precisely  this," the expert stated.

He also drew a parallel with previous electoral campaigns in Armenia,  noting that in the past, the authorities were, on the contrary,  interested in the presence of a parliamentary opposition to maintain  their own legitimacy.

"In 2012, the authorities did everything possible they could to  ensure that the Armenian National Congress passed the threshold and  entered parliament. Now the situation is the opposite, and in doing  so, the authorities are delegitimizing the newly forming parliament,"  Mikaelyan said.

The expert also noted that, despite the complaints about the vote  results, opposition forces have decided to work in the new National  Assembly. "The opposition agreed to go to parliament because it  currently has no other means of struggle. The fact that they were  unable to create alternative mechanisms for political resistance is a  separate issue that their own voters are raising," he emphasized. 

Speaking in a broader context, Mikaelyan stated that the internal  political situation in Armenia today is extremely susceptible to  foreign policy influences and pressures and is largely dictated by  the foreign policy and geopolitical framework "In essence, this  determines most of the processes taking place within the country,  including direct influence on the authorities by a number of Western  nations, such as the European Union's Rapid Response Team, with which  all controversial decisions are coordinated," the analyst believes.

 It is worth noting that the latest parliamentary elections in  Armenia were marked by significant pressure on the opposition from  the current authorities. Opposition representatives were imprisoned  under various pretexts. The persecution continued after the electoral  processes. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gave direct orders  to law enforcement agencies to imprison representatives of all major  opposition forces in the country.