Nikol Pashinyan`s speech during today`s ANC rally.

Nikol Pashinyan, Editor-in-Chief of the Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times) newspaper, who is running for parliament in Yerevan’s election district #7, made a speech at the rally the opposition bloc Armenian National Congress (ANC) held in Yerevan’s Freedom Square on March 30.

He drew the attention of “Armenia’s proud citizens” to President Serzh Sargsyan’s political activities. The president promised that the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) list would not include “nicknames.” However, looking through the RPA list, one can see such persons as “Nemets Rubo” (Ruben Hayrapetyan), “Artak from Sas” (Artak Sargsyan), “Lfik Samo” (Samvel Alexsanyan), “Mher from Tokhmakh” (Mher Sedrakyan) and others.

“Any other person would curl up and die. But Serzh Sargsyan is calling for believing them. What should we believe in? Are we expected to believe that Lfik Samo is an outstanding political figure?” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan reminded the rally participants that he had given Samvel Alexanyan a chance to prove he was a political figure, and not a businessman. Pashinyan invited Alexanyan to have a televised debate where they would tell each other all they thought.

“For the people to realize: as MP you have never spoken in parliament for ten years, and have been absent from seventy percent of the sittings, getting doctor’s certificates,” Pashinyan said. That is evidence the MP has a chronic illness, he added.

“I will help residents of the Malatya-Sebastya community to free you from this responsibility,” Pashinyan said.

He offered another solution to the problem. If “Lifik Samo” is ashamed of a televised debate, they may meet in election district #7 for people to understand “who is who.”

The demonstrators interrupted Pashinyan by crying out, “Now, now, now!”