Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during a press briefing following a cabinet meeting that all political elites who “led Armenia into a trap and kept it there” should be pushed out of politics through the 2026 parliamentary elections, Sputnik Armenia reports.
“This is my opinion, and I am convinced it will happen,” Pashinyan said, adding that the public is weary of the continuous confrontations between former and current officials.
He emphasized that electoral processes must no longer be about conflict, noting: “People are sick and tired of the endless past-versus-present debates, which often descend into political vulgarity.”
According to the prime minister, his party has discussed the matter internally and agreed that Armenia’s political landscape must adopt rules of civilized, values-based competition, free of insults and defamation.
Anticipating criticism, Pashinyan added: “Yes, I’ve done the same. That’s why I go to church on Sundays, kneel at the altar, and ask for forgiveness for my sins.”
Armenia’s next parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 2026. Several figures and groups, including ex-president Robert Kocharyan, the Wings of Unity movement led by former Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan, and the jailed businessman Samvel Karapetyan’s Our Way movement, have announced intentions to run.
