Political Scientist: Upcoming elections are no a street brawl; the  country`s future is at stake

ArmInfo.  The upcoming elections are not a street brawl; the country's future is at stake.  This viewpoint is shared by  political scientist Vahe Hovhannisyan, a  member of the Alternative Projects Group.

In his article, Hovhannisyan highlights a key characteristic of the  upcoming elections: the authorities' concerted effort to avoid  substantive policy debates. He argues that the government has little  to offer in terms of rational solutions or programmatic platforms;  consequently, it will focus on distorting the political atmosphere  and creating conditions for attacks on the opposition.

 "This is an abnormal situation, yet it is our  current reality. The  formula of these authorities is simple: the more failures they have,  the more reproaches and aggression they direct toward  others-opponents, society, other countries, etc. Yesterday, they  finally admitted that there is no progress in Armenian-Turkish  relations. They were as surprised as if we hadn't publicly warned  them before that unconditional acceptance of all demands would not  lead to opening borders and normalizing relations. One official even  expressed surprise. The Yerevan authorities have also failed  miserably: potholes, traffic jams, polluted air, poor public  transportation, construction permits that have paralyzed the city,  and so on. Instead, the mayor's power is growing over Yerevan  residents, drivers, and, in fact, over everyone except himself," the  political scientist noted.

According to Hovhannisyan, this strategy of aggressive control is no  accident. He describes the current political logic as a race where  the party that "strikes first" gains the advantage. However, he warns  that this tactic only works until it meets a serious  counter-response.

"The upcoming elections are not a street brawl; the future of the  entire country is at stake. Voters are not merely neighbors playing  pranks under the windows of neighboring houses, indifferent to the  outcome of a fight. In this 'clash,' the fate of everyone is being  decided-including those who, at first glance, appear to be just  'playing the game,'" Hovhannisyan emphasized.

He concluded that as the elections draw nearer, the electorate will  increasingly demand a serious conversation and real accountability.