United opposition has strong chance to defeat government in Sunday's vote, Kocharyan says

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan claims that Armenia’s opposition stands a strong chance of unseating the current government in Sunday's parliamentary elections 

Speaking to reporters after a final campaign event on Friday, Kocharyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the Hayastan alliance, said his years outside power had profoundly influenced his political outlook, arguing that the experience had given him a broader understanding of governance and political accountability.

“We have changed as well,” Kocharyan said when asked what lessons he had drawn from mistakes made during his presidency and whether a return to power would bring greater democratic openness and tolerance toward political opponents.

Kocharyan said he entered government from the Nagorno-Karabakh movement rather than through the traditional political process, leaving him with limited exposure to the challenges and perspectives of opposition politics.

“I came to power through the national liberation struggle,” he said. “I had not gone through processes like these, had never served in the opposition, and had not viewed political developments from that angle.”

He noted that the Karabakh movement unfolded under vastly different circumstances, as activists confronted both Azerbaijani authorities and the constraints imposed by Soviet military oversight.

According to Kocharyan, his subsequent years in opposition offered a valuable new perspective that is likely to shape his approach should he return to office.

“Now I have seen these processes through the eyes of the opposition,” he said. “It has been a new and important experience, one that cannot help but influence my style of leadership.”

Kocharyan said the experience had enriched his political judgment and completed a broader accumulation of life and governing experience.

Asked to assess his coalition’s electoral prospects, the former president expressed confidence in the opposition’s ability to challenge Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party.

“I believe the opposition has a strong chance of defeating the government through its combined vote,” Kocharyan said.