Armenian opposition candidate calls Pashinyan 'unbalanced' after election debate

Narek Karapetyan, a parliamentary candidate of the Strong Armenia party, on Friday strongly criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, describing him as “unbalanced” after remarks made during a televised pre-election debate.

Speaking during a Facebook livestream, Karapetyan said Armenians had witnessed “what kind of unbalanced person holds the prime minister's post.”

Karapetyan was referring to comments Pashinyan made during Thursday’s debate, when the prime minister said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict had not been resolved because the three co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, including the United States and France, had not allowed a peaceful settlement.

“Can you imagine the problems this man could create and how many lives could be affected by this approach?” Karapetyan said.

He argued that Armenia needs new leadership, saying the country should be represented by a leader who is taken seriously by neighboring states and their leaders.

“That is why Armenia needs a change in leadership. We need a leader who commands respect among our neighbors and their leaders — someone who is viewed as representing a serious state, not treated as a subject of ridicule,” Karapetyan said.

He called on voters to go to the polls and back political change, saying Armenia needs “a stable and balanced leader.”