Armenian opposition accuses authorities of manipulations and deceit

The Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and his team are manipulating economic indicators by claiming growth of average wages and low inflation; however, they fail with their promises to voters, the oppositional MPs have stated during a march in Yerevan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that starting from April 25, supporters of the opposition have been holding their disobedience actions demanding Pashinyan's resignation.

On June 24, supporters of the protest movement held another rally and march demanding the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan.

Pashinyan and his team are manipulating economic indicators, Arthur Khachatryan, an MP from the "Aiastan" parliamentary faction, stated at the rally. Authorities are speculating on the average wage growth and low inflation, he has added.

"The increase in the average salary without raising the minimum wage suggests that the wages of those who already received large salaries have grown still more. This will inevitably lead to a social gap between the poor and the rich. Authorities present the inflation rate of 8.5% as a success, but this indicator is formed based on 450 items. But the main consumer products have risen in price by 10-20%. Authorities are manipulating, including into their calculations, for example, a 1% increase in carpet prices," the MP has noted.

Aram Vardevanyan, another MP from the "Aiastan" faction, has blamed authorities for deceiving voters. "In their programme, they promised to [return] Shushi and Gadrut under Nagorno-Karabakh's control; they claimed that there was no alternative to the right of the people of Artsakh (the self-name of Nagorno-Karabakh) to self-determination; and that the format of the OSCE Minsk Group would remain. But they have deceived us. And today they are doing everything to get rid of Artsakh," Mr Vardevanyan has stated at the rally, calling on the society to unite. Otherwise, according to his story, a new catastrophe cannot be avoided.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 25, 2022 at 00:59 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.