“I don’t predict, I’m sure that there will be early elections,” Hovik Aghazarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Aghazarian refused to give a detailed reasoning for his claim. He said only that due to external challenges facing Armenia and for “other reasons” as well Pashinian and Civil Contract would stand a better chance of winning an early vote than a regular one due in June 2026.
Neither Pashinian nor senior members of his party have publicly hinted at the possibility of an early ballot so far.
The premier triggered widespread speculation about his election preparations in November after he lamented a continuing lack of “justice” in the country and told six senior state officials and two pro-government lawmakers, including Aghazarian, to resign. All of them except Aghazarian swiftly tendered resignation.
Representatives of Armenia’s two main opposition groups described the resignations as a publicity stunt aimed at reversing a decline in Pashinian’s approval ratings. They said he is simply scared of losing the next elections and wants to trick Armenians into believing that he is not responsible for his government’s failings and can still turn things around.
Aghazarian found himself under criminal investigation and was ousted from the ruling party shortly afterwards. The party also expelled another Civil Contract deputy, Hakob Aslanian, from its ranks after he denounced on December 11 fellow members of Pashinian’s political team for using Aghazarian’s private data for political purposes.
Both lawmakers, who are close friends, refused to give up their parliament seats despite coming under strong government pressure. They decided later in December to set up their own party.