The discourse surrounding the 2026 elections often boils down to the false rhetoric of ‘peace or war.’ However, this thesis is merely a propaganda tool that overshadows the priorities of the national political agenda. Vahe Hovhannisyan, head of the Alternative Projects group, draws public attention to this problem. In particular, he writes: « How can we debunk Pashinyan’s falsehood about the 2026 elections, as if they imply a choice between peace and war? There is only one way: to formulate our own content for the elections.
1.Managing ‘non-war’
In the event of a change in power, the probability of war is zero. Whoever comes to power from the opposition camp will engage in very calm negotiations on all issues, both TRIPP and all others. They will try to find the best possible solutions. No one would be foolish enough to choose war.
Instead, there is a high probability that with new forces and new formulations, with broader public consolidation, it will be possible to conduct negotiations on terms more favourable to us.
However, the anti-government camp has not yet managed to talk about all this, placing the right emphasis and instilling confidence in society.
The reality is that today we do not have peace, but ‘non-war’, and the most important issue in the 2026 elections is the further management of ‘non-war’.
If a new stable government is formed, we will take a PEACEFUL path to protect our identity and our interests, finding a balance of coexistence in the region, which implies both the lifting of the blockade and contacts, and the gradual resolution of painful issues.
2.Intra-Armenian elections
The 2026 elections are about us. These are intra-Armenian elections, this is intra-Armenian life.
Do we want to live in a humane atmosphere or in cruel conditions of wiretapping, division, slander, insults, endless criminal cases and arrests?
Do we want to keep the country in this agonising state or create a stable state and establish a horizon for planning life for at least a few years?
Do we want the state to remain a toy in the hands of one person, or do we want a state with normally functioning state institutions, governed by a system of checks and balances?
Do we want the church to be a centre of inner peace and spiritual joy, or an object of dirty attacks and smear campaigns?
Do we want a healthy environment for peaceful work, professional growth, active business and a prosperous life, or a life reminiscent of an endless episode of ‘02’?
For seven years, we have been living in chaos, aggression, lies and deception, which constantly emanate from the country’s headquarters. Do we want to put an end to this atmosphere and ensure a peaceful working environment in the country and all its structures?
It is time for us to make a decision to change the atmosphere and life in Armenia. The 2026 elections are all about this. Peace has nothing to do with elections. It is a cheap propaganda ploy.
This must be conveyed to the people, to the entire electorate.
If there is understanding and agreement on these two points, it will guarantee truly broad public consolidation, regardless of party lists or other formalities.
The latest poll
The latest pre-election ‘poll’ yesterday was the ‘liturgy’ in Hovhanavank, which was attended by almost no one. If you remove administrative resources and coercion, there is practically no society left. The eloquent emptiness of Hovhanavank this Sunday demonstrates the real sociology of the 2026 elections.
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Let us recall that the ‘Alternative Projects Group’ is a non-governmental organisation whose members represent various spheres of public life: economics, law, politics, education, etc. The members of the group see the need for real alternative ideas and projects in modern Armenia and are initiating a format within which they develop and propose their own alternative solutions to pressing and important issues for presentation to the government, political forces and society.
Main source: altprojects.am