Former President Robert Kocharian on Tuesday accused Armenia’s new government of incompetence and “unbridled populism” and declared his ambition to rally its political opponents.
In an interview with Russia’s NTV channel, Kocharian took a dim view of last spring’s mass protests in the country which forced his successor and erstwhile ally Serzh Sarkisian to resign. But he also said that Sarkisian’s attempt to extend his decade-long rule was a mistake.
“Do you know of a single revolution which made the people better off?” he said. “Did that happen in Libya or Tunisia or Syria? The lives of the people there have worsened drastically … I see no reason why things should get better in our country.”
Kocharian claimed that the new authorities headed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian are trying to “settle scores” with political rivals, rather than address socioeconomic problems. “What is happening in Armenia is simply unbridled populism the consequences of which will be restraining the country’s development for a long time,” he said.
Kocharian was arrested on July 27 on charges stemming from the deadly breakup in March 2008 of opposition protests staged in Yerevan in the wake of a disputed presidential election. An Armenian appeals court freed him from custody on August 13, saying that he enjoys legal immunity from prosecution. Prosecutors have asked the higher Court of Cassation to overturn that decision.
Pashinian, who played a key role in the 2008 protests, strongly defended the ongoing criminal investigation into the post-election bloodshed when he rallied tens of thousands of supporters in Yerevan on August 17. “No one will avoid responsibility for killing 10 people and staging a coup d’état in Armenia on March 1 [2008,]” he stated in an apparent reference to Kocharian.
Speaking to NTV, the 63-year-old ex-president again denied the coup charges and accused Pashinian’s government of waging a “political vendetta” against him. “Those who organized the [2008] mass disturbances and were sentenced for organizing them came to power ten years later,” he said, adding that they are now keen to “settle scores with people whom they consider their enemies.”
Kocharian went on to reaffirm his return to active politics. “I understand that I can become a serious consolidating factor for those people who see the current problems,” he said without naming anyone. Nor did he clarify whether he is planning to set up a party or alliance for that purpose.
Kocharian insisted that he can count on considerable popular support because the Armenian economy grew at double digit rates during most of his 10-year tenure. He predicted that citizens who benefited from that growth will be his primary “electoral base.”
“During those ten years, Armenia’s GDP grew fivefold … while its state budget increased eightfold,” Kocharian told the Russian broadcaster. “Every interesting and reconstructed thing you see in Yerevan was built during those years.”
“We created 35,000-40,000 jobs each year,” he went on. “The share of small and medium-sized businesses in the economy rose from 15 percent at the start of my presidency to 46 percent [by 2008] … The quality of life improved radically, and we have to remind [Armenians] of that.”
Pashinian, his loyalists and other critics say that Kocharian systematically stifled dissent, tolerated government corruption and rigged elections when he ran the country from 1998-2008. The Armenian premier has repeatedly pledged to eradicate corruption and create a level playing field or all businesses. He insisted last week that Kocharian stands no chance of ever regaining power.
Kocharian first announced his political comeback on August 16. Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) swiftly expressed readiness to “cooperate” with him. An HHK spokesman said that they have “very similar views” challenges facing the country.
Kocharian handed over power to Sarkisian in April 2008. The two Karabakh-born men became increasingly estranged in the following years, with Kocharian criticizing the Sarkisian administration’s economic policies as well as constitutional changes that transformed Armenia into a parliamentary republic.
Sarkisian tried to remain in power as prime minister after completing his second presidential term in April this year. That fateful move triggered the Pashinian-led protests resulting in his resignation.
“I think [Sarkisian] should not have embarked on the constitutional reform,” Kocharian said on Tuesday. “I publicly criticized that reform. And of course he should not have made attempts to hold on to power.”
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