YEREVAN. – Armenia’s presidential contender, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic former FM Arman Melikyan is not planning to vote on election on February 18, Melikyan himself stated during a press conference on Saturday.  

Melikyan justified his respective decision by arguing that his attitude toward the illegitimacy of this vote has not changed. And, also, he called upon those voters, who consider the forthcoming election to be illegitimate and rigged, to cast their ballots in his favor—but not as a presidential candidate and, instead, as a sign of protest. He said he will consider the election illegitimate even if he were to come out as the winner. 

The presidential hopeful added that he would congratulate the person that is approved as the president, but not the winner of the forthcoming vote because, as per Melikyan, this is not a real election, but rather a reproduction of the powers that be.    

Arman Melikyan noted that the post-election processes will be complex and morbid, but from the moral and psychological perspective. 

Even though the presidential candidate is not planning on voting, he informed that he is preparing to form a respective idea based on the information he will receive from his friends and close circles.     

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am