Second President Robert Kocharyan will run in the upcoming parliamentary election in Armenia, Kocharyan himself announced at his press conference on Tuesday.

Declining to speak on behalf of other former leaders, Kocharyan recalled that running in the 2021 election showed that “I have a certain influence when it comes to uniting the masses.”

At the same time, the former president emphasized that he wants the emergence of new political forces, the collaboration with whom could lead to changes in the current situation in Armenia.

“My [political] team will run [in the upcoming parliamentary elections],” Robert Kocharyan pledged.

He recalled that the party of First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan is engaged in political processes, while that of the third President Serzh Sargsyan runs in all elections.

“Does the party’s participation [in elections] mean the participation of [its] leader? Of course, yes,” the Kocharyan said.

“Which is better — not to be on the front line and solve everything, or to appear openly and give up the disguise? Which is better? To remain a leader and say you’re not participating [in the elections]… but then who is participating? The party’s participation also means the leader’s participation. If someone appears in our team who can collect more votes, I will only be glad. It’s not a matter of principle,” Kocharyan assured.

According to him, a study on public opinion and the political landscape during the 2021 parliamentary election in Armenia showed that when the election campaign was personally led by Robert Kocharyan, there were greater chances of gaining more votes.