Speaker says opposition would be better off without Kocharyan and Sargsyan in upcoming elections
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Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan stated that he believes the opposition would be better off if former Presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan opted out of the upcoming general elections.
He made the remarks when asked to comment on a statement by former Ombudsperson Arman Tatoyan, who claimed that PM Nikol Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party “will always win if the race is between Pashinyan and the former presidents.”
Tatoyan is now leading a newly formed opposition group called "Wings of Unity."
Speaking at a press briefing, Speaker Simonyan said that, in some sense, he actually agrees with Tatoyan.
"It would be a very interesting campaign and struggle if former unelected presidents— and for me, neither Serzh Sargsyan nor Robert Kocharyan can ever be considered legitimate Presidents of Armenia because the results of the elections have not inspired trust in anyone— did not participate. Perhaps, in that case, we would have a much better opposition in Armenia than we have now," he said, noting however, that the former leaders will likely try to maintain presence in parliament through their monopolistic ties with businessmen and ex-officials.
He also assured that free elections are being held in Armenia.