Armenian opposition should rethink strategy in ‘TikTok era’

The incarceration of Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan was intended as a warning to the Armenian Apostolic Church, but is unlikely to force Catholicos Karekin II to resign, political technologist Armen Badalyan told Panorama.am in an interview on Friday.

Badalyan said many interpret the move as a show of strength by the authorities ahead of parliamentary elections, signaling readiness to silence critics. He predicted that the ruling Civil Contract party would follow a “Moldovan scenario”, using the election as a tool to retain power rather than a genuine competition, even if new forces led by detained businessman Samvel Karapetyan or ex-Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan enter the race.

“Opposition forces should not resign themselves to this outcome,” Badalyan said.

“If they adopt creative approaches, they can easily take power, because the government is weak.”

He argued that Armenia’s opposition still relies on outdated protest tactics from the late 1980s and 1990s. 

“In the TikTok era, rallies alone cannot lead to a change of power,” he said, urging opposition leaders to innovate rather than repeat slogans or television appearances.

According to Badalyan, the current political field lacks an opposition figure with the determination Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan once showed in his rise to power.