Former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) of Armenia has accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of illegally using his government levers to campaign for the December 9 parliamentary elections.
In a statement released late on Tuesday, the HHK’s election campaign headquarters pointed to Pashinian’s visit on Monday to the Gegharkunik province during which he discussed the conduct of the elections with local government officials and held a rally in a regional town.
The HHK statement denounced that as a “blatant abuse of administrative resources.” It claimed that the prime minister’s engagements in Gegharkunik ran counter to election-related guidelines set by the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
“Nikol Pashinian conducted a pre-election campaign during his work hours and within the framework of a working visit that was part of his official duties, using all institutional resources,” said the statement. “We call on the prime minister to strictly observe the rules set by international documents, ensure equal opportunities for all sides and do so with concrete actions, not words.”
A senior HHK figure, Armen Ashotian, argued on Monday that Pashinian’s trip to Gegharkunik took place a week before the official start of campaigning for the polls.
“Nikol Pashinian is … blatantly violating the Electoral Code right from the beginning, and this is not the only violation,” Ashotian insisted on Wednesday.
The Gegharkunik rally was also criticized by Aram Sarkisian, a former Pashinian ally and the co-leader of the Menk (We) alliance also running for the parliament. Tert.am quoted him as saying that the authorities are creating “unequal conditions” for election contenders.
Pashinian dismissed the criticism at a news conference on Tuesday. He insisted that he is performing his prime-ministerial duties, rather than campaigning for the polls which his My Step bloc is tipped to win.
The premier held more such rallies when he visited another Armenian province, Aragatsotn, on Wednesday. “We believe that Armenia will be one of most powerful and prosperous countries in the world,” he told supporters in the provincial capital Ashtarak.
The HHK itself was accused of heavily relying on and abusing government resources during Serzh Sarkisian’s decade-long rule. Many public and even private sector employees were reportedly pressured to vote for HHK candidates in presidential, parliamentary and local elections.
Pashinian has promised that the upcoming vote will be the most democratic in Armenia’s history.
Under a timetable approved by the Central Election Commission last week, the election campaign is supposed to get underway on November 26.
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