The PM made the remarks in his speech at the Civil Contract Party’s 6th Congress.

Party members will adopt a new program of the party, the charter and a new board. This is Civil Contract’s 3rd congress as a ruling party. It had held another 3 congresses before that as opposition.

“Why and how did this all begin? It began because a group of citizens simply could not adapt to the reality that elections were continuously being rigged, that people were being persecuted for exercising their right to freely express their opinion, that television broadcasting was controlled, that measures were being taken to control internet content, and that corruption had become a key system of public relations. In short, because people were not free, the liberties of people were not ensured,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan added that this oppression was manifested not only in public and political activities, but also economic activities, because the economy was strictly controlled, and people were making investments, or importing or exporting exclusively with the permission of the political elite.

“And the founders of Civil Contract decided that this could no longer continue, that one shouldn’t adapt to that realities, that we should struggle against it because the continuous rigging of elections, corruption, crime, impunity, the economic monopolies were wringing and depleting the country’s vitality, disrupting the future,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said that they weren’t the only group with that way of thinking in Armenia, but a part of a bigger group. He said that the party discussed two issues, what kind of a country they want to have and what is the mistake of the oppositions, including their mistake, due to which they are unable to realize the most important declared goal – the unchangeable articles of the Constitution which stipulate that Armenia is a sovereign, democratic, social state with the rule of law and that the power belongs to the people, who exercise this power through free elections and referenda.

He reminded the party’s founding congress of 2015, where a concrete program was stated: the most important objective in the domestic arena is the establishment of democracy, and that democracy is the change of power through peaceful electoral way. Therefore, the practical application of democracy is the opposition’s rise to power. Party members consider that the Velvet Revolution’s logic does not contradict the logic of electoral change of government. “This was recorded in the 2015 founding congress of the party, and this is precisely what happened after 2015 until the 2018 non-violent Velvet Revolution and afterwards. And today is the right moment to say for the record that thanks to our party’s activities the chapter of election rigging in Armenia is closed,” Pashinyan said.

Citing the assessment of international monitors that the parliamentary elections were free, fair, transparent and democratic, Pashinyan added: “And I have to say that as a result of our party’s activities today Armenia is confidently and proudly among the democratic countries of the world.”

He concluded by saying that today Armenia is even ahead of many European countries in many cases regarding level of democracy, rule of law and judicial independence.