Kocharyan casts ballot in Sunday's elections, slams Pashinyan over war losses

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition Hayastan bloc, cast his ballot in Sunday’s parliamentary elections and delivered sharp criticism of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, accusing him of exploiting the 2008 post-election unrest to deflect responsibility for the country’s heavy wartime losses.

Kocharyan told reporters he had voted for a vision of Armenia that is “secure, protected and prosperous.” He emphasized that the opposition’s chances were strong and pledged “radical changes” if his alliance gained sufficient seats.

Kocharyan described his bloc as the most uncompromising opposition force. “We have never retreated, and I think no one doubts that we are the most radical,” he said.

The former president described Pashinyan as “a cowardly man” who projects his fears onto the public by cultivating “an atmosphere of fear” ahead of the vote.

Addressing the March 1, 2008 unrest, which left 10 people dead, Kocharyan argued that Pashinyan repeatedly raises the case to overshadow the thousands of casualties from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. “He believes that by talking about March 1 he can offset the 5,000 casualties and the immense territorial losses that occurred under his leadership,” Kocharyan said. He added that while he was unlawfully jailed over the case and later acquitted, “now it is time for Nikol Pashinyan to face a lengthy prison sentence.”

Kocharyan also reiterated that if his bloc does not secure the largest share of opposition votes, it would support whichever opposition party does, allowing that group to nominate a prime ministerial candidate. “This is obvious to me and stems from the logic of the Constitution,” he said.