Armenian analyst urges election boycott, street protests after parliamentary vote

Armenian political analyst Suren Surenyants has called on opposition forces to reject the results of the country's June 7 parliamentary elections and pursue street protests, arguing that accepting parliamentary seats would strengthen Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government.

In a statement posted on social media on Monday, Surenyants criticized Pashinyan's assertion that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has ended, accusing the government of attempting to convince citizens that Azerbaijan no longer poses a threat to Armenia.

"Its the same Azerbaijan that carried out ethnic cleansing in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and continues to have territorial claims against Armenia," Surenyants said.

He further stressed that Azerbaijan continues to build up its military capabilities with the aim of expanding its control over Armenian territory.

Surenyants also accused Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party of serving the interests of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The analyst argued that Armenia's opposition has little time to act and warned that taking seats in parliament would give Pashinyan another five years to pursue policies undermining Armenia's sovereignty.

"Only through street protests and rejection of the rigged parliamentary election results can the homeland be saved," Surenyants said.