Armenian opposition party proposes jailed archbishop for presidency

By Siranush Adamyan

Armenian opposition party Bright Armenia Party has proposed jailed cleric Mikayel Archbishop Ajapahyan for the post of president, a largely ceremonial role. The party, led by Edmon Marukyan, said last week it would run alone in the elections rather than as part of an alliance.

The idea was outlined by Karpis Pashoyan, number two on the party’s electoral list, in a social media post explaining why the party was advancing Ajapahyan’s candidacy.

Pashoyan said the nomination was meant as a political and moral signal at a time of deep polarization in the country, arguing that Ajapahyan represented values of national dignity, independence, and public trust that many Armenians feel are lacking in state institutions.

He also said the move was intended to spark a broader debate on the role of the presidency and the need for figures seen as standing above party politics.

Also read: Archbishop Ajapahyan’s conviction and the politicization of justice in Armenia

However, critics pushed back, saying the proposal was symbolic rather than practical and did not amount to an institutional solution to Armenia’s political challenges. One response to Pashoyan’s post argued that replacing systemic reform with the nomination of a single figure risked deepening personalized politics rather than strengthening democratic institutions.

Archbishop Ajapahyan, a senior cleric of the Armenian Apostolic Church and head of the Shirak Diocese, has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government.

In October 2023, he was sentenced to two years in prison over calls linked to anti-government unrest. Supporters and critics of the government have described the case as politically motivated, noting that prosecutors had previously found no grounds for charges over his public statements and moved ahead only after tensions between the church and Pashinyan sharply escalated in June 2025.