The refusal of PA to form a coalition placed the ARF, Heritage and ANC in a curious situation. First, if PA formed a coalition, at least two of these forces, the ANC and the ARF which had formed a joint, but in fact disposable headquarters, would be able to shift responsibility to “monitor” the elections to PA. The point is that they could have accused PA for “betrayal” or “reneging on its word” and say their mistake was to have believed in the PA’s opposition word.
Besides, after the election and its official result, all the opposition forces accepted the mandates and excused their step by description of strategic ups and downs of a far-reaching struggle, they were nevertheless well-aware that these ups and downs were not understood by the society and their decisions lack legitimacy outside the circle of their supporters.
By joining coalition PA could legitimize the other forces, their presence in the parliament as a small and heroic opposition. Besides, if by forming a coalition government big and powerful PA appeared amid information disgrace, the noise would be so loud that it would drown the disgrace of all the other forces and the post-election hit topics.
Now the chance of the small opposition parliamentary groups is almost equal to zero because they cannot be more legitimate than PA together with its big parliamentary group. Besides, the PA at least was not discredited, and thus the ARF, ANC and Heritage have reason not to welcome Prosperous Armenia’s decision.
In addition, the arguments that PA is a pro-government force and cannot be opposition cannot change the situation now because the situation was such that the measurement was forming or not forming a coalition. In this sense, the circumstance of not forming coalition will be enough to resist to all allegations for a long time.
Hence, the decision of PA not to form a coalition is the second stage of the two-stage trick on the so-called real opposition. In the first stage Serzh Sargsyan tempted them to parliament in the result of which these forces lost the chance to form the agenda outside the parliament and thus their extra-parliamentary legitimacy. In the second stage, with the opposition posture of PA, Serzh Sargsyan actually deprives them of parliamentary legitimacy.
In fact, no legitimate system or institution is left in Armenia. In other words, failing to resolve the problem of legitimacy in Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan actually creates a legitimacy vacuum, forming a more equal government among the equal in the face of the RPA and a more equal opposition among the equal in the face of the PA. The others are simply the equal.
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