Narek Karapetyan: Armenia needs new leaders to lead the country out  of its current situation

ArmInfo. The authorities have the power to invalidate democracy, gather in a small group, and decide for themselves who will be the RA prime minister or how many times the same person will serve as head of state. Narek Karapetyan, a Board member of the "Strong Armenia" party, made this statement at a press conference on March 6, when commenting on remarks by certain  government and pro-government circles regarding the necessity of banning party registration.

According to Narek Karapetyan, there is democracy, as well as the  people's opinions, and they should make decisions according to the RA  Constitution. He expressed confidence that Armenia needs new leaders  to lead the country out of its current situation. Therefore,   programs focused on changing the country, rather than changing a  group of people, are being proposed. "The Armenian public is yarning   for change, for new leadership. We will present our ideas, and let  our society decide. And they shouldn't decide for our people," Narek  Karapetyan emphasized.

Regarding the statement made by Republic Party leader Aram Sargsyan  that Strong Armenia should not be allowed to participate in the  elections because it is a Russian force, Karapetyan said: "I don't  think Mr.  Sargsyan should decide who will participate in the  elections in Armenia."

In this regard, the politician pointed out the results of a public  opinion poll conducted by the International Republican Institute,  according to which, in the parliamentary elections on June 7, the  ruling Civil Contract party will receive 24% of the vote, Strong  Armenia - 9%, and the Armenia bloc and Prosperous Armenia party - 3%  each. As Narek Karapetyan noted, this poll reveals an interesting and  unusual dynamic regarding the opposition vote. "Even according to  their own polls, you've noticed that the government, which had 53% of  the vote, now  has 24%, which is half as much. This indicates  widespread public disillusionment with the government. They know that  a large part of society is disillusioned, as they've say fine words  but haven't taken any action," he stated. The politician emphasized  that the poll was conducted before the party's inaugural meeting, at  which Samvel Karapetyan was announced as their candidate for prime  minister. "Furthermore, according to the data we have, during the  survey, they rated very highly the number of people who were  pro-government during the last elections, primarily in percentage  terms. We understand the steps they've taken, and even then, their  numbers have dropped by half. I believe the results of this survey  won't be reflected in the election results. In my opinion, they'll  have 24-25%, and it's too late to dream of the high ratings they  achieved as a result of their promises-50% or more. They know this  themselves. That's why they're promoting various ideas to introduce  some restrictions related to democratic processes," Narek Karapetyan  concluded.