The beginning of autumn politics was marked by opposition radicalization in Armenia. The leader of the "Pan-Armenian National Movement", Aram Manukyan, commented on the current political situation in Armenia.
The National Congress of Armenia is the only political party demanding that presidential and parliamentary pre-term elections be held. What are the main reasons for that?
I think that most of the population of Armenia consider a change of power one of the most significant problems. There are many reasons for this, i.e. corruption, migration, a weak judicial system, political prisoners, inflation, low levels of exports and high levels of imports.
Then, why were there no elections earlier? Have external forces impeded it?
I suppose that soon external forces (Russia, the US, the EU) will stop supporting the current political regime, because they will ealize that it is useless in solving such regional problems as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Serge Sarkisyan is not recognized as a future partner by international powers, because soon they will want to see a partner whom they can trust. I would like to talk about recent investigations in Russia and the USA. According to several opposition newspapers, many representatives of the Armenian authorities have connections with Russian criminal groups. Meanwhile, the American
authorities have opened a criminal investigation into a huge health insurance fraud against a criminal group consisting mainly of Armenians. All this makes the position of the country vulnerable.
Have recent investigations of Russian and American law-enforcement agencies influenced the situation in the circles of power?
I think they began to panic. This time our authorities won't come off clear, because the crime was made public. The USA, struggling against terrorists, won't accept an Armenian criminal group in their country. The same can be said about the Russian authorities. The tension will only be increased and the National Congress of Armenia will contribute
to this process.
This means that Armenia is very vulnerable to external challenges, including a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. What is the way out?
The way out is a change of power. The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict depends on the legitimacy of the
authorities.
You've commented on internal and external factors which contribute to the process of tension on those in power. How do these factors affect the unity of the power circles?
They have never been united, especially now. Everyone thinks about what would they do if they were deposed. For example, this year capital flight from Armenia amounted to $1.5 billion. This unprecedented sum is proof that the ruling powers don't believe in their future.
