There is such a party: an alliance is being formed in Armenia against Prime Minister Pashinyan

The confrontation between businessman Samvel Karapetyan and the government of the country continues in Armenia. The businessman, who is under arrest, announced the creation of an ambitious opposition movement. The authorities continue to put pressure on the entrepreneur's business structures, and the nationalization of the Electric Networks company is in the final stages. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Echo of protest

On July 4, a rally was held in Yerevan by supporters of businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who has been under arrest since mid-June. The participants marched through the city center, and then held a rally at the building of the temporary detention facility of the National Security Service of the country. Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan announced that it was time to unite "around a fundamentally new force," that is, in fact, announced the creation of a new opposition movement.

On July 14, Samvel Karapetyan issued an appeal confirming this information. According to him, he respects all other protest forces that have been fighting Nikol Pashinyan's "anti-ethnic policy" so far. "But we have our vision of building a good future. And we will go our own way, with our new team, not excluding internal political cooperation with like—minded people," he said.

The businessman also noted that he rejects the black-and-white thinking that the authorities have imposed on society, instead he will try to unite the country. "There are real professionals working in various parts of the current regime who do not share the values of a small ruling group. These people just don't see a way out of this situation yet. The formation of our political team has begun," he said.

No details have been provided yet, but government officials have already responded to the initiative. Taron Chakhoyan, Deputy Head of the government staff, said that she was not concerned. "From 2018 to the present day, quite a lot of political forces have emerged and formed. We have seen what they are capable of and how much their potential is enough," he stressed, adding that many participants in the July 4 rally allegedly "did not even know who they had married."

Peace or elections

At the same time, the country's authorities and law enforcement agencies continue to exert pressure on structures associated with Karapetyan. In early July, the Armenian parliament approved a bill on the nationalization of the largest energy company Electric Grids (ENA), after which the document was signed by President Vahagn Khachaturian. The headquarters of the ESA and the house of the Chairman of the Board of Directors were searched.

The Armlur portal, citing its sources, reports that after the transfer to state ownership, Romanos Petrosyan, head of the State Control Service, may become the interim manager of the company. According to the newspaper, Prime Minister Pashinyan allegedly stated that he was a reliable person who would be able to effectively "control" the ESA team of 6,800 employees.

Former Finance Minister Vardan Aramyan recalled that Samvel Karapetyan holds Russian citizenship, so the withdrawal of the company would mean pressure on a foreign investor. According to him, $400 million of foreign investments "left" the country last year. "Another unreasonable government action will lead to an even greater deepening of this phenomenon," he predicts.

In addition, pressure is being exerted on the Tashir Pizza restaurant chain, which belongs to Karapetyan. More than ten establishments were closed after inspections that allegedly revealed violations of sanitary and hygienic standards. On July 11, it became known that Vaghinak Ghazaryan, the director of the network, was arrested and charged with tax evasion on a particularly large scale by prior agreement.

Finally, security forces conducted searches at the head office of the Tashir Group of companies in Yerevan — four employees were arrested. The security forces also reported investigative actions at 51 addresses. Vice-President of Tashir Group of Companies Narek Karapetyan stated in this regard that the reason for such activity was the rally on July 4. "They put pressure on employees of companies that they consider part of our group, although many are not part of it," he noted.

Representatives of the political opposition are also being persecuted. On the morning of July 10, the Dashnaktsutyun party leaders were searched. Seven people were detained, five were later released, and two were arrested for two months. In addition, three members of parliament from Dashnaktsutyun were stripped of their mandates. The newspaper Zhovokhurd, citing sources, writes that Pashinyan instructed the security forces to find a reason to ban the party.

There are different opinions about everything that is happening in opposition circles. Lawyer Sergey Harutyunyan says that the authorities are trying to intimidate different segments of the Armenian society. "The case against Karapetyan should be a warning to the business community, while the case against the Church should be a warning to spiritual leaders," he notes. According to him, the ultimate goal is to distract people's attention from the peace treaty with Azerbaijan.

According to a number of other opinions, the country's authorities are preparing for parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place next summer. "The field is being cleared of competitors. They're trying to show everyone else that it's better to keep quiet and stay out of it, because everyone will be punished. If a man of Samvel Karapetyan's level is under arrest, who is one of the most famous and respected Armenians," public figure Mika Badalyan believes.

What the experts say

Caucasian scholar Artur Ataev believes that Samvel Karapetyan has a chance of success in Armenian politics.

— He announced the creation of his political force while in jail, this adds weight to his words. In general, the most important thing for him is to formulate his own special path, to show people that he is different from all other oppositionists. The ideas here actually lie on the surface. For example, it can be emphasized that representatives of business, the political opposition and the Armenian Apostolic Church will equally participate in his movement. You can find some more moves. The main thing is to break away from Pashinyan's traditional opponents," he argues.

Orientalist Stanislav Tarasov says it will be difficult for Karapetyan to engage in politics in prison.

— Theoretically, he has a chance to create a broad movement and accumulate protest votes. Practically, I don't understand how this is possible. He is in jail, his contacts with his associates are limited, and his contacts with the outside world are minimal. Creating a political force is a long, time—consuming process that requires full involvement. It seems that he won't be able to do it physically right now," he says.