YEREVAN. – The most interesting thing in Russia’s presidential elections was the pre-election situation, when a spontaneous wave of discontent emerged against Vladimir Putin, and this means Putin’s return was not as welcomed as expected, Armenian capital Yerevan’s Regional Studies Center Director Richard Giragosian said during a press conference on Monday.       

In his words, however, the opposition against Putin is united solely around opposing him.  

According to Giragosian, Russia’s presidential elections were not free and fair. “But the international response was not so much because the international community does not have much leverage against Russia,” he argued.   

And reflecting on Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections, the analyst noted these could be the most important elections in Armenia’s history. “There are great expectations both in and outside of Armenia,” Richard Giragosian concluded.