Strong Armenia party member says public largely opposes government

A senior member of the opposition Strong Armenia party claims that most of the country’s population holds anti-government views.

In an interview to Armenia TV on Monday, Narek Karapetyan, a board member of the party, stated that “70 percent of Armenian citizens have opposition views”, accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party of fostering a climate of disrespectful political discourse.

Karapetyan criticized the investigations targeting party members and supporters, citing the detention of Gohar Ghumashyan, who was accused of offering a birthday gift to a 104-year-old war veteran, as well as other cases where registered salaries were presented as attempts to sway voters ahead of the June parliamentary elections.

He argued that the prevalence of hostile rhetoric in Armenian politics is the result of the government’s agenda, saying citizens “have never been prepared for such language” and that Strong Armenia seeks to restore civility in public life.