Mikayel Nahapetyan, a member of the “Citizen’s Decision” party, says that power in Armenia belongs to Public Television of Armenia and the National Democratic Institute (NDI)․

 “They are exercising that power by manipulating public opinion technologies,” he said during a live Facebook broadcast on the topic of the upcoming pre-election debates on Public Television of Armenia, describing their format as extremely insulting, contemptuous, and unfair to all new political forces. 

“Public Television of Armenia organizes pre-election debates with NDI, which is an American fund that mainly carries out policy-supporting activities. A format of debates is intended for 2-10 candidates included in the pre-election lists. The 26 participating forces are divided into two groups, and the following principle is chosen: whatever number the political force in the CEC has got as a result of the lottery, those 1-13 numbers are in one group, the others are in the second group. The second format is the debate of the first numbers on the lists, ” the member of “Citizen’s Decision” presented.

He clarified that two groups were formed in this format, but here the principle of division has already changed.

“You all saw that during the time when this decision was to be made as to who will debate with whom, Nikol Pashinyan publicly confidently stated that he is waiting for certain people on Public Television of Armenia, and that he should debate with them. The preliminary version, which could have been a lottery or an alphabetical division, was set aside. Nikol Pashinyan ordered that those people should be in his group, after which the question arose as to what principle should be chosen for those people to get into the same group,” said Mikayel Nahapetyan and added that as a result a disgraceful and unfair method was chosen.

“It was decided that the parties that had been registered for a long time, would be in one league, and the newer registered parties should be in another one. Then a problem arose because, by this logic, two of the rivals expected by Pashinyan are alliances, which were registered a month ago. And here a second principle has been set that when it comes to alliances, not the date of the registration of the alliance is taken into account, but the oldest of the parties in the alliance. This has solved the issue that Nikol Pashinyan will be able to debate with the people he considers more suitable opponents, so that he can divide them into “black and white” again,” Nahapetyan mentioned.

He emphasized that the political order was fulfilled by the Public Television of Armenia, and sadly for him, NDI.

“The organizers know very well that during the debate of the leaders, one will orient himself either to the current government, or to the previous governments, or to a new force that has never ruled. And now, in fact, there are 13 political forces that have no opportunity to debate with any of the governments that have put Armenia in this situation. In other words, there will be a conversation in the air, you will talk about problems, but there will not be  the one who opposes you, ” he said.

According to Mikayel Nahapetyan, there is nothing to do with the party and programs registered a few days ago, which objectively could not follow the right and wrong political steps.

“In other words, this principle has been officially chosen with the following logic: no new political force should have a chance. In Armenia, the choice should be among the political forces that have worked before. This is an extremely insulting, contemptuous, unfair format and attitude for all new political forces. Debates, which are an important component of electoral democracy, with this decision, turn into a fictional democracy, a show,” said the representative of the “Citizen’s Decision” party.

Mikayel Nahapetyan also expressed the position of their party, which is that the “Citizen’s decision” does not see any meaning in participating in the debate in this logic. He also mentioned that he expects the citizens and the other 12 political forces to raise their voices against injustice.