Why results of US-commissioned survey in Armenia not published?
Ahead of the parliamentary elections in June, the political field of Armenia may find itself at the center of a scandal related to the credibility of a sociological survey commissioned by the International Republican Institute (IRI), reports Politik.am.
According to highly reliable information, the results of the latest large-scale survey conducted by IRI at the end of last year have caused serious confusion among Western “coordinators” of the current Armenian authorities.
The survey data surprised the clients, showing a catastrophic decline in trust in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. According to the source, his rating, despite various campaigning activities over the past year, has hardly increased, remaining catastrophically low for the authorities, and the negative rating has become absolute. It is noteworthy that even when a situation was simulated where the main opposition figures, such as ex-President Robert Kocharyan or businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, did not run in the elections, the vast majority of respondents refused to vote for the incumbent prime minister under any circumstances.
Such negative results, which call into question the legitimacy of the “pro-Western vector,” were extremely undesirable for the American side, especially in the context of the recent visit of US Vice President JD Vance to the region. That is why it was decided not to publicize the real numbers until they determine what can be done.
Politik.am’s source notes that recently this report has been “edited.” The numbers were artificially inflated in order to present Pashinyan as a transient leader who is ahead of his opponents “several times.” And as a justification for such “growth,” the campaign intends to use the media effect of Vance’s visit to Armenia and the promised investment programs in the country.
As per Politik.am the goal of such falsification is obvious: to sow a sense of despair among the Armenian population. The “He’ll [i.e. Pashinyan] win [the election] anyway” notion aims to cause mass indifference and people’s non-participation in the elections, which will enable the incumbent authorities to maintain their positions even with minimal support.
