Teachers and schoolchildren are involved in the election campaign of Pashinyan's party.
Teachers and students in the Aragatsotn region today, instead of attending classes, took part in the election campaign of Armenia's ruling party. Employees of the House of Culture and school cleaners were also called in during their work hours to support the authorities.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot," political scientist Gagik Ambaryan reported that the Armenian authorities are using administrative resources to attract large crowds to their meetings. In particular, he noted, in Gyumri, where a concert was held, many of the spectators were civil servants and their family members, who had received orders to be in the square and support the Civil Contract party. According to the opposition, the Armenian authorities are also pressuring civil servants who sympathize with the opposition.
Teachers and students from three schools in the Aparan community of the Aragatsotn region participated in the election campaign for the ruling Civil Contract party today, News.am reports.
School holidays have not yet begun, so teachers and children attended the campaign during classes. Among them were residents of the villages of Aragats and Kuchak. However, some teachers in the village of Aragats remained at school, taking turns campaigning. At least three teachers admitted to participating in the campaign, the publication writes.
Also participating in the ruling party's campaigning during working hours are employees of the House of Culture and cleaners of the Aragats village school, the publication states.
Pashinyan did not comment on the participation of public sector workers and children in the election campaigning
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is on vacation and heads the proportional list of candidates for parliament under the Civil Contract party, did not answer a question today about the participation of teachers and students in election campaigning during school hours, the publication noted in another publication.
"Pashinyan did not respond to a question from a NEWS.am correspondent about whether he considered this phenomenon normal. He left the question unanswered and headed to the bus," the publication reported. her.
As a reminder, on May 7, it was reported that an employee of the Shengavit district prefecture of Yerevan was attacked while removing a Prosperous Armenia party poster that had been illegally posted. The victim was hospitalized, and the attacker was detained.
The election campaign period officially began on May 8, but in fact, election banners and portraits of political party leaders appeared on the streets of cities and villages more than a month before that date. The Central Election Commission of Armenia clarified that placing outdoor advertising for political parties outside the official campaign period is not a violation.
The parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for June 7. Seventeen parties and two blocs have been admitted to the elections. Samvel Karapetyan's "Strong Armenia," along with Robert Kocharyan's "Armenia" bloc and Gagik Tsarukyan's "Prosperous Armenia" party, is one of the most pro-Russian parties in the Armenian parliamentary elections. The Kremlin is backing Karapetyan, but he is legally ineligible to participate, Armenian political scientists previously noted. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report titled "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia."