Oskanian: There is a significant opportunity not only to change power, but to close a “humiliating” chapter

Armenia is approaching decisive parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, the significance of which is difficult to overestimate, wrote former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.

According to him, a sense of fatigue, disappointment, and dissatisfaction has spread across the country, shaped by years of national shocks, losses, setbacks, and uncertainty about the future.

“At the same time, these elections are taking place in a new political environment, where a number of serious and credible opposition alliances have already formed, distinguished by their programs, experience, and governing capacity. Whether separately or together, they are capable of securing a clear parliamentary majority,” Oskanian noted.

He stressed that the objective of the opposition and the public should go beyond merely preventing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from securing a simple majority but the goal should also be to prevent his party from even crossing the minimum threshold required to enter parliament.

“Ultimately, these elections are about translating the prevailing public sentiment in Armenia into a clear political outcome. The conditions are in place: a dissatisfied electorate, a discouraged and disillusioned society, credible and forward-looking programs for peace and development, and a growing recognition that the current course is unacceptable.

If the collective opposition and voters act with clarity and purpose, the outcome could extend beyond a simple change of power to a far-reaching political restructuring.

“There is indeed a significant opportunity not only to change the government, but also to close once and for all a chapter that is widely regarded as one of the most difficult and humiliating chapter in the country’s history, and to open a new phase based on dignity, responsibility, competence, and national renewal,” the former official wrote.