The political scientist appreciated the detention of the mayor of Gyumri
The Armenian authorities are clearing the opposition field ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place next summer. This was stated by Alexander Krylov, Chief Researcher at the Caucasus Sector of the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at the IMEMO RAS, in an interview with Izvestia.
"Gyumri could turn into a center of concentration of protest forces. To prevent this, Nikol Pashinyan authorized the mayor's detention. I think Vardan Ghukasyan will be behind bars at least until the parliamentary elections in June. If they manage to dig up something on him, he will go to places of serving his sentences for a long time," he emphasizes.
Krylov adds that Pashinyan's opponents are unable to organize effective resistance.
"We have seen sluggish protest attempts in Gyumri, which have yielded nothing. We remember last year's rallies led by church leaders, who gradually ran out of steam. We also observed the recent marches of the political opposition in Yerevan, which also did not gather a critical mass of participants. At the same time, we must admit that the authorities behave quite consistently. I think they have every chance to completely clear the political space from competitors," he notes.
On October 20, employees of the Anti-Corruption Committee of Armenia raided the Gyumri City Hall. The entrances to the building were cordoned off by law enforcement agencies. In the city hall itself, there were clashes between employees and law enforcement officers.
During the investigative actions, the security forces detained eight people, including the mayor Vardan Ghukasyan.
Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:
Gyumri, but not now: Armenian authorities are increasing pressure on the opposition
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