If unconstitutional process not stopped, 2026 parliamentary elections  will turn into ceremonial legitimization of authoritarian power -  politician

ArmInfo. If the unconstitutional process initiated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is not stopped, the 2026 parliamentary elections will turn  not into a democratic process, but into a formal ceremony to  legitimize authoritarian rule. Suren Surenyants, leader of the  Democratic Alternative party, wrote this on social media.

According to him, the meaning of political elections is lost when  power becomes an end in itself and an unconstitutional system.

The politician recalled that Nikol Pashinyan plans to attend a  liturgy next week at the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Talin,  which will be celebrated by Priest Tade Tahmazyan. "He is known as a  cleric who supports the authorities, and arrived in Hovhannavank  yesterday accompanied by the mayor of Talin.  Meanwhile, amid the  elections in Vagharshapat, the brother and nephew of the Catholicos  of All Armenians were arrested. According to lawyer Ara Zohrabyan,  the charges are based on a false accusation, and the published video  footage confirms the obvious fabrication of the case. These events  are not random:  they reflect a new, systemic approach by the  authorities. The 'spiritual meetings' in Hovhannavank demonstrated  that Pashinyan's anti-church initiative lacks public support. And it  is precisely after this failure that the authorities are resorting to  open pressure in an attempt to establish control over the church,"  the politician emphasized.

He pointed to the authorities' transparent motives. First and  foremost, they are seeking to expand the geographic scope of their  church "occupation." After Hovhannavank, Talin is now their turn.  Secondly, the authorities are seeking to isolate the Catholicos. The  cases brought against those close to the Supreme Patriarch are  overtly political in nature and aimed at discrediting the spiritual  leader. Thirdly, they are preparing the ground for the next attack.  The authorities are seeking to create a public atmosphere in which  possible actions against the Catholicos will be presented as a  "public demand." "All of this deals a blow not only to the Church,  but also to the institutional foundations of statehood. When  political power seeks to subjugate the Church, the constitutional  balance and the foundations of the secular state are disrupted. In  the current situation, the opposition faces the crucial task of  preserving statehood and protecting national identity.

The opposition's mission must be clear and systemic: to formulate a  unified and consistent strategy that will protect the Church and  other institutions of national identity, prevent the authorities from  dividing society with illusions of a 'spiritual revolution,' and  restore public trust, which can become the basis for national  resistance and political revival. If the unconstitutional process  initiated by Pashinyan is not stopped, the 2026 parliamentary  elections will turn not into a democratic process, but into a formal  ceremony to legitimize authoritarian power," Suren Sureniants  emphasized.