“Either the Revolution Gains New Momentum or the Counterrevolution Wins,” Says Pashinyan

YEREVAN — The 2026 National Assembly elections have created a new revolutionary agenda, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a question-and-answer session with the government in parliament.

According to the prime minister, the authorities have had difficulty explaining to the public why former officials and circles associated with them are still not in prison.

“We had difficulty explaining to the public why Robert Kocharyan is not in prison. We had difficulty explaining to the public why what Gagik Tsarukyan looted has not been returned. We had difficulty explaining to the people how it happened that, for eight years after the revolution, the Kaluga-based oligarch continued stealing electricity from kindergartens and schools. How was that possible?” Pashinyan said.

In Pashinyan’s assessment, one of the reasons was that those circles had external patrons, and the authorities had previously acted cautiously and with restraint in matters connected to them.

According to him, a new political agenda has emerged following the elections.

“This election and the activity recorded during the elections have created the agenda of a new revolution — a revolution in which velvet must be ruled out,” the prime minister said.

Pashinyan stated that, in his view, the former system was built to protect oligarchic circles and must be changed.

“Throughout the previous period, the constitutional order was built to protect that oligarchy. We must move toward breaking that system. There is no other option,” Pashinyan said.

According to the prime minister, this election was not an ordinary political process.

“This is not a simple election. Either the revolution now gains new momentum, or the counterrevolution wins. That is our choice,” Pashinyan concluded.