Karapetian announced the start of “the formation of our political team” on July 14 almost one month after being arrested following his condemnation of Pashinian’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church. He said a month later that the movement named Mer Dzevov (In Our Way) “will become the foundation upon which a new political force will be formed.”
In Our Way will be nominally headed by his nephew and chief spokesman, Narek Karapetian. The latter described the tycoon as its “ideological leader.”
“Being confident that in the upcoming political and electoral process the Armenian people will reject and remove the ruling small clique from power, we are trying to unite the national potential with the help of this movement,” he told the press during an official presentation in Yerevan.
Narek Karapetian was flanked by two dozen mostly young founding members of the movement described by him as “apolitical.” None of them is a well-known politician.
Samvel Karapetian, who has mainly lived in Moscow since the early 1990s, was arrested on June 18 hours after condemning Pashinian’s attempts to depose the top clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church and vowing to defend it “in our way.” Law-enforcement authorities claim that the statement constituted a call for a violent overthrow of the government.
Armenia - Businessman Samvel Karapetian.
After declaring his political ambitions from prison, Karapetian was also charged him with tax evasion, fraud and money laundering. He rejects the accusations as politically motivated.
Some analysts expect the 60-year-old billionaire, who has financed many charity projects in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, to redraw the country’s political landscape. They say he can win over many voters who trust neither the government nor the mainstream opposition. According to opinion polls, such disillusioned people make up the biggest percentage of the electorate.
Narek Karapetian signaled the new group’s intention to target that segment, denouncing Pashinian’s domestic and foreign policies and at the same time chiding the Armenian opposition.
“Our political forces feed the public with political motives but the impact of that on people’s lives is quite small,” he said.
Under Armenian law, Karapetian is not eligible to become prime minister because of his dual Russian nationality. But he can lead or sponsor a party even from behind the bars. It remains unclear who could top the party’s list of election candidates.
Speaking at a July 16 news conference, Pashinian effectively admitted the connection between Karapetian’s rhetoric and arrest. He said the tycoon must give up his Russian citizenship before engaging in political activities in Armenia.