Armenians are set to vote in a snap parliamentary election this Sunday that is expected to cement the rule of the new prime minister who spearheaded the massive protests earlier this year that forced the resignation of his predecessor.
The charismatic 43-year-old Nikol Pashinian, who took office in May, pushed for the elections in a bid to win control of a parliament that was dominated by his political foes.
Pashinian, a former journalist turned politician, has tapped into public anger over widespread poverty, high unemployment and rampant corruption in the landlocked former Soviet nation of 3 million that borders Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran.
His fiery rhetoric and easy style have helped cement his popularity. Opinion polls have indicated that Pashinian's My Step alliance is set to sweep the vote, while the Republican Party that controlled the old parliament is trailing far behind.
The protests in Armenia erupted in April when Serzh Sargsyan, who had served as president for a decade, moved into the prime minister's seat, a move seen by critics as an attempt to hold on to power following a constitutional reform that had shifted most power to the prime minister's office.
Thousands of protesters led by Pashinian thronged the center of the Armenian capital, forcing Sargsyan to step down days later. The former president has kept a low profile and his Republican Party has largely remained on the defensive, reluctantly submitting to Pashinian's demand to hold early parliamentary elections.
During the monthlong campaign, Pashinian has blasted members of the old elite as corrupt and pledged to revive the economy, create new jobs and encourage more Armenians to return home.
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"We have carried out a political revolution, and now we must make an economic revolution," Pashinian said on a recent campaign trip.
"We set big and difficult goals and we will achieve them, because we are a powerful, victorious free and happy nation." The Republican Party shot back at Pashinian, criticizing what it described as his populist statements and divisive rhetoric.
"Pashinian has been unable to solve social problems, so he has turned to making shows," snapped Eduard Sharmazanov, a Republican Party member who served as deputy speaker.
On Friday, an Armenian court put former Armenian President Robert Kocharian in custody on charges linked to a police crackdown on a 2008 protest.
Kocharian rejected the charges, calling them a political vendetta by Pashinian, who staged the 2008 post-election protest.
The Republican Party denounced the ex-president's arrest as an attempt by Pashinian "to create an atmosphere of fear and to pressure political opponents."