At the current political stage, almost all political forces are focusing primarily on preserving their existing voter base rather than attracting new voters. This was stated by political strategist Karen Kocharyan.
According to him, the ruling authorities attempted to work with some new target groups, including young voters. However, these efforts did not produce the expected results. As a result, the authorities decided to concentrate more on consolidating their existing electorate. In this context, he mentioned the initiative to raise pensions. Kocharyan noted that the authorities had ruled out such a step only a month earlier, but after realizing the risk of losing their most loyal voters, they changed their position.
Speaking about political allies of the government, Kocharyan emphasized that the “Republic” party led by Aram Sargsyan is attempting to position itself as an opposition force. This occurs in a situation where part of society has become disappointed with the current government. However, in his view, this party cannot truly be considered part of the opposition field.
According to Kocharyan, this political force effectively acts as a political “spoiler” for Nikol Pashinyan.
The strategist recalled that this role had already been visible during the elections to the Yerevan City Council. He noted that even then it was clear that the “Republic” party would eventually support the ruling authorities.
Kocharyan believes that a significant portion of undecided voters may ultimately make their choice among newly emerging political forces.
He mentioned two initiatives that have already declared their political activity.
These include Samvel Karapetyan’s “Strong Armenia” movement and Arman Tatoyan’s “Wings of Unity” initiative. Kocharyan believes that in the near future some undecided voters may choose between these emerging forces.
He also observed that the political initiative forming around Samvel Karapetyan has recently become particularly active. According to him, the “Strong Armenia” movement is currently the most visible in terms of media presence, regional meetings, and press conferences.
At the same time, the political strategist stressed that he would not single out only one force at this stage, since other initiatives in the extra-parliamentary field may also become more active.
He also noted that parliamentary forces naturally have certain advantages due to their status. They have a political platform, party structures, and members of parliament, which provide additional opportunities to present themselves in the public arena.