Armenian opposition MP slams bill to seize electric utility

Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan has lambasted a government-drafted bill to nationalize the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), labeling it as part of a campaign he dubbed “Seizure is Trendy” (a satirical reference to Learning Is Trendy education campaign led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan).

Addressing the parliament on Tuesday, Abrahamyan accused the Armenian authorities of cracking down on their opponents and advancing narrow group interests through the seizure of assets created by others.

“Although the immediate focus is on ENA, it’s clear this move is part of a disgraceful campaign targeting the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and its supporters,” said the Pativ Unem faction MP.

He argued that businessman and ENA owner Samvel Karapetyan is merely a symbolic figure in a government strategy. “Karapetyan’s reputation is being used to send a message to others that the authorities will resort to anything, incluidng asset seizures, imprisonment and brute force, to preserve the authoritarian regime they’ve established,” Abrahamyan warned.

He accused the government of deliberately undermining the foundations of Armenian identity, including the Armenian Apostolic Church, to consolidate long-term control over a fragmented society.

“The government is playing to its greatest strength, sowing division within society and deepening internal polarization, where everyone turns against one another,” Abrahamyan said. “The ruling regime has a single overriding objective: to maintain its grip on power for as long as possible.”

“The current government, which constantly claims to champion democracy, human rights and the rule of law, has turned the country into a dictatorship where the people have to submit to the regime’s rules, face imprisonment or leave the country altogether,” he concluded.