"Gloves Come off after Velvet Revolution" – BBC on Upcoming Armenia General Election

• 12.08.2018, 16:02
•  World,  Armenia

The BBC has weighed in on the upcoming general election in Armenia, stressing that Nikol Pashinyan, the leader of the Velvet Revolution, “faces a key test with an early parliamentary election on Sunday”, Armenpress reports.

BBC’s Rayhan Demytrie writes that “the man behind the extraordinary "Velvet Revolution" that convulsed Armenia in April faces a key test with an early parliamentary election on Sunday.

Former journalist-turned-politician Nikol Pashinyan, 43, engineered a peaceful transfer of power and raised hopes for an economic transformation.”

“One of Mr Pashinyan's key promises to the tens of thousands of Armenians who took part in street protests was to hold the country's first democratic parliamentary elections.

He is still very popular and few doubt that his My Step Alliance will come top among the 11 parties and political blocs in the vote.”

According to the author, what makes Pashinyan so popular is the fact that that “ [he] uses regular Facebook live broadcasts to come across as an accessible politician.”

The article also features the opinion of Republican Party (HHK) Vice President Armen Ashotyan, who expressed dissatisfaction over organizing the election so early.

Ashotyan argues that political parties have been deprived of time to prepare for the elections.

The vice president of the former ruling party also said that ‘there’s still a so-called post-revolutionary euphoria in Armenia’, which according to him will be reflected in the vote.