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“Local elections scheduled on October 2 in Gyumri and Vanadzor will shape our approximate judgment about the 2017 parliamentary elections,” political technologist Karen Kocharyan told a press conference.

To Kocharyan’s words, upcoming elections in Gyumri and Vanadzor are of political relevance unlike all other by-elections, which are of interest to no one except the local population of those specific communities. Political parties are running for the City Council of Elders; a kind of rehearsal for the future parliamentary elections be tested there.

“The Republican Party didn’t achieve good results in the last elections held in Gyumri and Vanadzor. In certain areas it even suffered serious defeats. I guess the Republican Party has realized that the system needs a restart, especially over the past six months after the April war and July incidents in Yerevan. There are numerous discredited persons both in the powers as well as in the local elections. They are trying to increase the party image through sacrificing those persons. That is a technology,” Kocharyan said.

Asked whether tensions are expected among the opposition forces ahead of the elections, Kocharyan said: “That is for sure. They all realize that a certain X percent is allocated for the opposition forces, and they strive to get the most places possible though assuming a role of the most oppositionist. The same is the case with the authorities. A severe struggle is underway inside the powers, since there are limited places for many wishers to occupy. The main opponent to the Republican Party is the Republican Party itself. The struggle is about which wing of the party should win. We will see that once the ruling party unveils its party list,” noted Kocharyan.

Speaking of the mood among the electorate, Kocharyan pointed to a cautious optimism after the change of the Prime Minister.