Politics

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Politics.

2,000 Agents Raid Gagik Tsarukyan's Homes and Businesses in Show Trial Theater [EP564]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 8, 2026 | Category: Human Rights, Politics, Armenia

Within hours of the Constitutional Court ruling, 2,000 NSS agents raided over 70 sites linked to opposition figure Gagik Tsarukyan, using military-grade weaponry in what hosts describe as political theater targeting alleged white-collar crimes.

Constitutional Court Strips Prosperous Armenia of Seats by 200 Votes [EP564]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 8, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Armenia’s Constitutional Court invalidated votes from three precincts to exclude Prosperous Armenia from parliament, falling just 200 votes short of the 4% threshold despite over 1.5 million total votes cast.

IMEI Registry: Armenia Building a Centralized Digital Surveillance Database [EP564]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 8, 2026 | Category: Technology, Human Rights, Politics, Armenia

Armenia’s government is implementing a mandatory IMEI phone registry by 2027, framed as tax enforcement but critics warn it creates a centralized surveillance database linking every citizen’s phone to their identity, with few legal safeguards.

Opposition Will Take Parliament Seats, Plans Coordination for Future Battles [EP564]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 8, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

After the Constitutional Court ruling, Strong Armenia and Armenia Alliance confirmed they will accept parliamentary mandates, betting that legislative work combined with coordinated street action will be more effective than boycott.

Constitutional Court Will Deliver Political Ruling, Not Legal Justice [EP563]

Posted on Friday, Jul 3, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Human Rights

Amb. Aghajanian explains why Armenia’s Constitutional Court cannot deliver a fair legal ruling on the disputed June 2026 parliamentary elections, given that all judges were appointed by the ruling Civil Contract party.

Opposition Should Take Parliamentary Mandates Despite Fraudulent Election [EP563]

Posted on Friday, Jul 3, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics

Amb. Aghajanian argues that opposition parties should accept their parliamentary mandates even if they believe the June 2026 elections were fraudulent, using parliament as a political weapon.

Pashinyan Adopted Denialist Language When Responding to Israeli Recognition [EP563]

Posted on Friday, Jul 3, 2026 | Category: Armenian Genocide, Armenia, Politics, Human Rights

Ambassador Aghajanian argues that Pashinyan’s response to Israeli Armenian Genocide recognition, warning against weaponization, echoes Turkish denialist narratives and represents a fundamental betrayal of Armenian historical truth.

Constitutional Court Will Likely Rule for Pashinyan: 60% Chance Nothing Changes, 20% for New Elections [EP562]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Hovik assesses the Constitutional Court’s July 4 ruling on election appeals, predicting a 60% chance of no meaningful change and warning that new elections could serve as cover for opposition bans.

Pashinyan's Silence on Israeli Genocide Recognition Gives Turkey New Ammunition [EP562]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026 | Category: Armenian Genocide, Politics, Armenia

Asbed critiques Pashinyan’s silence on Israel’s cabinet recognition of the Armenian Genocide, arguing it hands Turkey new tools for denial.

Post-Election Crackdown: Stalinist Purge Disabling Opposition Today, Not Tomorrow [EP562]

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026 | Category: Politics, Human Rights, Armenia

Asbed explains the logic behind Armenia’s post-election arrests: disabling opposition in the present, not building lasting cases for future prosecution.

Constitutional Court Stacked Entirely With Pashinyan Appointees [EP561]

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 24, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Human Rights

The Constitutional Court hearing the election challenge is composed entirely of Pashinyan appointees, a historic precedent that fundamentally undermines claims of judicial independence.

Kocharyan Stopped at Airport, Then Hit With 20-Year-Old Cases [EP561]

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 24, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Human Rights

Opposition leader Robert Kocharyan was detained at the airport without justification, then charged with crimes allegedly committed two decades ago that fall outside the statute of limitations.

The Opposition Hopes the Court Will Act Fairly. Hovik Thinks That's Unfounded Optimism. [EP561]

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 24, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Human Rights

The opposition hopes the Constitutional Court will overturn the election despite being staffed entirely with Pashinyan appointees. Hovik argues this optimism is unfounded.

Pashinyan Is Preparing for New Elections and Constitutional Crisis [EP560]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 23, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Grigoryan argues Pashinyan is strategically preparing for inevitable constitutional crises by disqualifying opposition parties and restricting diasporic-citizen voting rights.

Pashinyan's 'Clear Choice' Was Anything But Clear [EP560]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 23, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Media

Dr. Grigoryan deconstructs the Western narrative that Armenian voters made a ‘clear choice’ for Europe, arguing the election was driven by negative voting and distorted media narratives.

The Opposition's Fatal Mistake: Trying to Out-Pashinyan Pashinyan [EP560]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 23, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Grigoryan explains why the opposition lost: Strong Armenia and the Armenia Alliance embraced TRIPP and Western integration, making them indistinguishable from Pashinyan and thus unelectable.

Why Voters Rejected the 'Nakhkins': Dignity Over Economics [EP560]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 23, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Grigoryan argues that Armenian voters rejected the pre-2018 regime primarily because of systemic humiliation by oligarchs and local warlords, not merely economic corruption.

How Western intelligence shaped Armenia's 2026 election [EP559]

Posted on Saturday, Jun 20, 2026 | Category: Geopolitics, Politics, Armenia

Hrant Mikaelian details how U.S. and European intelligence agencies, along with a Brussels-Berlin technical coordination group, directly shaped Armenia’s June 2026 elections to advance anti-Russian and TRIPP corridor objectives.

Prosperous Armenia robbed of parliament through cancelled precinct results [EP559]

Posted on Saturday, Jun 20, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Hrant Mikaelian documents how the government cancelled results from three precincts to deliberately push Prosperous Armenia below the 4% threshold, effectively removing a major opposition party from parliament.

The opposition's only remaining path: Constitutional Court and local elections [EP559]

Posted on Saturday, Jun 20, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Political scientist Hrant Mikaelian outlines the opposition’s realistic options: accept parliamentary mandates, challenge electoral fraud at the Constitutional Court, and prepare for critical local elections in September and October.

Why all Armenian polls failed spectacularly: garbage in, garbage out [EP559]

Posted on Saturday, Jun 20, 2026 | Category: Politics, Poll, Armenia

Hrant Mikaelian explains why EVN Report, IRI, and MPG polls all failed catastrophically to predict civil Contract’s actual result, revealing systematic problems in Armenian political polling.

Why Pashinyan is terrified even after winning the election [EP559]

Posted on Saturday, Jun 20, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Political scientist Hrant Mikaelian explains why Pashinyan’s government is escalating repression despite claiming electoral victory, signaling deeper anxiety about legitimacy and control.

CEC Invalidated 213 Votes to Push Prosperous Armenia Below 4% Threshold [EP558]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 16, 2026 | Category: Politics

Hovik details how Armenia’s Central Election Commission invalidated entire precincts, removing 213 votes from Prosperous Armenia and pushing the party below the 4% threshold needed for parliamentary entry.

Opposition Must Take Parliamentary Mandates AND Protest in the Streets [EP558]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 16, 2026 | Category: Politics

Hovik outlines a two-track strategy for the opposition: accept parliamentary mandates while appealing to the Constitutional Court and organizing street pressure to challenge Pashinyan’s illegitimate government.

Pashinyan's Pre-Election Spending Was Vote-Buying, Now Comes the Bill [EP558]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 16, 2026 | Category: Politics, Economy

Asbed and Hovik expose the mechanics of Civil Contract’s pre-election spending spree: a billion dollars in unfunded pension and healthcare benefits promised to voters, now recovered through excise taxes on fuel and cigarettes.

Pashinyan's 0.004% Problem: How One Vote Decides Parliament [EP557]

Posted on Thursday, Jun 11, 2026 | Category: Politics, Armenia

Prosperous Armenia reported at 3.996 percent, just below the 4 percent threshold. With 17,000 invalid ballots, recounts are essential and could reshape parliament.

Threats as Campaign Strategy: Pashinyan's Message Is Crushing Opponents [EP557]

Posted on Thursday, Jun 11, 2026 | Category: Politics, Human Rights, Armenia

Arthur Martirosyan critiques Pashinyan’s campaign rhetoric as threats of imprisonment and violence. In any republic, such threats would disqualify a candidate; Western media ignored them.

Western Support as Blank Check: How Framing Silences Electoral Violations [EP557]

Posted on Thursday, Jun 11, 2026 | Category: Politics, Geopolitics, Armenia

Arthur Martirosyan argues that Western powers used a pro-Russian versus pro-Western frame to shield Pashinyan from scrutiny over election violations and democratic backsliding.

An Administrative Machine, Not an Election Campaign: One Party Controls Every Institution [EP555]

Posted on Saturday, Jun 6, 2026 | Category: Politics

Armenia operates as a de facto one-party system where a single political center controls law enforcement, judiciary, and all state apparatus, making fair electoral competition impossible.

From ‘revolution’ to war with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan | Ep 164 - Sep 12, 2022 [EP164]

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, Middle East, Iran, Syria, NATO | Series: cog

From ‘revolution’ to war: deciphering Armenia’s populist foreign policy-making process Conversation with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan

Armenian News Network/Groong - September 12, 2022

Recently two AUA professors (Prof. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan) published a paper in Taylor and Francis Online (TANDF) that analyzes the foreign policy decision making (FPDM) process of the Nikol Pashinyan administration, titled: “From ‘revolution’ to war: deciphering Armenia’s populist foreign policy-making process”. In this episode, we talk to one of the authors

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From ‘revolution’ to war with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan | Ep 164 - Sep 12, 2022 [EP164]

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia, Politics, Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, Middle East, Iran, Syria, NATO

From ‘revolution’ to war: deciphering Armenia’s populist foreign policy-making process Conversation with Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan

Armenian News Network/Groong - September 12, 2022

Recently two AUA professors (Prof. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan and Prof. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan) published a paper in Taylor and Francis Online (TANDF) that analyzes the foreign policy decision making (FPDM) process of the Nikol Pashinyan administration, titled: “From ‘revolution’ to war: deciphering Armenia’s populist foreign policy-making process”. In this episode, we talk to one of the authors

 Read More

Էդգար Ղազարյան | Edgar Ghazaryan | Ep #159 - Aug 26, 2022 [EP159]

Posted on Friday, Aug 26, 2022 | Category: In Armenian, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan | Series: cog

Armenian News Network / Groong

Ներքաղաքանան իրավիճակը Հայաստանում Էդգար Ղազարյանի հետ The State of Armenian Politics with Edgar Ghazaryan

Թեմաներ:

  • Անկախության հռչակագիր
  • Օգոստոսի 23-Õ« հանրահավաքը
  • Անվստահության քվե (Õ«Õ´ÕºÕ«Õ¹Õ´Õ¥Õ¶Õ¿)
  • Փաշինյանն Õ¨Õ¶Õ¶Õ¤Õ¥Õ´ Սահմանադրության
  • Ընդդիմության Õ¡Õ¼Õ¡Õ»Õ«Õ¯Õ¡ անելիքների Õ´Õ¡Õ½Õ«Õ¶

Մեր հյուրը`

  • Էդգար Ղազարյան, Վայոց Ձորի Õ¶Õ¡Õ­Õ¯Õ«Õ¶ մարզպետ,
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Էդգար Ղազարյան | Edgar Ghazaryan | Ep #159 - Aug 26, 2022 [EP159]

Posted on Friday, Aug 26, 2022 | Category: In Armenian, Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan

Armenian News Network / Groong

Ներքաղաքանան իրավիճակը Հայաստանում Էդգար Ղազարյանի հետ The State of Armenian Politics with Edgar Ghazaryan

Թեմաներ:

  • Անկախության հռչակագիր
  • Օգոստոսի 23-Õ« հանրահավաքը
  • Անվստահության քվե (Õ«Õ´ÕºÕ«Õ¹Õ´Õ¥Õ¶Õ¿)
  • Փաշինյանն Õ¨Õ¶Õ¶Õ¤Õ¥Õ´ Սահմանադրության
  • Ընդդիմության Õ¡Õ¼Õ¡Õ»Õ«Õ¯Õ¡ անելիքների Õ´Õ¡Õ½Õ«Õ¶

Մեր հյուրը`

  • Էդգար Ղազարյան, Վայոց Ձորի Õ¶Õ¡Õ­Õ¯Õ«Õ¶ մարզպետ,
 Read More

Armenian News: Opposition | Brussels | Alison | Economy | Poll | Artsakh | Ep #132 - Apr 10, 2022 [EP132]

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 12, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Ukraine, Economy, India, Georgia, Geopolitics, Human Rights, Nagorno Karabakh, Lebanon, Middle East, NATO, Syria, European Union | Series: wir

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - April 10, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00:00 Introduction

  • 00:02:25 Opposition Protests in Yerevan: Thousands showed up to the opposition protest on Tuesday, outlining the red lines for Pashinyan’s dealings with Aliyev, ahead of the meeting in Brussels. Opposition says this is only the beginning, but have yet to indicate what their next steps will be.

  • 00:12:35 Buying Bread from a Man in Brussels: Pashinyan went to Brussels this week to meet with Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev. Did the Armenian PM

 Read More

Armenian News: Opposition | Brussels | Alison | Economy | Poll | Artsakh | Ep #132 - Apr 10, 2022 [EP132]

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 12, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Ukraine, Economy, India, Georgia, Geopolitics, Human Rights, Nagorno Karabakh, Lebanon, Middle East, NATO, Syria, European Union

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - April 10, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00:00 Introduction

  • 00:02:25 Opposition Protests in Yerevan: Thousands showed up to the opposition protest on Tuesday, outlining the red lines for Pashinyan’s dealings with Aliyev, ahead of the meeting in Brussels. Opposition says this is only the beginning, but have yet to indicate what their next steps will be.

  • 00:12:35 Buying Bread from a Man in Brussels: Pashinyan went to Brussels this week to meet with Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev. Did the Armenian PM

 Read More

One-year anniversary of Artsakh War | Can the Opposition Reorg | TARC 2.0 | Ep 90 - Sep 26, 2021 [EP90]

Posted on Sunday, Sep 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Economy, China, Syria | Series: wir

Guest:

  • Tevan Poghosyan , is president of the International Center for Human Development in Yerevan. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP in the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. From 1997 to 1999 he served as the Nagorno-Karabakh Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.

Topic:

  • The One-year anniversary of The War in Artsakh
  • Can the Opposition Reorganize?
  • Turkish-Armenian Possible Rapprochement

Episode 90 | Recorded: September 27, 2021

One-year anniversary of Artsakh War | Can the Opposition Reorg | TARC 2.0 | Ep 90 - Sep 26, 2021 [EP90]

Posted on Sunday, Sep 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Genocide, Economy, China, Syria

Guest:

  • Tevan Poghosyan , is president of the International Center for Human Development in Yerevan. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP in the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. From 1997 to 1999 he served as the Nagorno-Karabakh Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.

Topic:

  • The One-year anniversary of The War in Artsakh
  • Can the Opposition Reorganize?
  • Turkish-Armenian Possible Rapprochement

Episode 90 | Recorded: September 27, 2021

Իրան: Արտաքին Հարաբերուտյուններ, գալիք ընտրություններ (Armenian) (Ep 64) - 05/29/2021 [EP64]

Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2021 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Politics, In Armenian, | Series: cog

Iran: Foreign Relations and Upcoming Elections (in Armenian) A Conversation with Robert Markarian

Իրան: Արտաքին Հարաբերուտյուններ, գալիք ընտրություններ Զրույց Ռոբերտ Մարգարյանի հետ

Guest:

Ռոբերտ Մարգարյանը ծնվել է Թեհրանում և ունի բարձրագույն կրթությունն ֆիզիկայի և իրավաբանության ոլորտներում: 25 տարի աշխատել է Իրանի պետական ռադիո-հեռուստատեսության հայերեն ռադիոժամում, որպես լուրերի հաղորդավար, խմբագիր և մեկնաբան: Հայաստանի և Արցախի թեմաներով հայերեն, պարսկերեն ու անգլերեն հոդվածներով համագործակցել է իրանական ու հայկական կայքերի և հետազոտական հաստատությունների հետ:

Guest(s):

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Իրան: Արտաքին Հարաբերուտյուններ, գալիք ընտրություններ (Armenian) (Ep 64) - 05/29/2021 [EP64]

Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2021 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Politics, In Armenian,

Iran: Foreign Relations and Upcoming Elections (in Armenian) A Conversation with Robert Markarian

Իրան: Արտաքին Հարաբերուտյուններ, գալիք ընտրություններ Զրույց Ռոբերտ Մարգարյանի հետ

Guest:

Ռոբերտ Մարգարյանը ծնվել է Թեհրանում և ունի բարձրագույն կրթությունն ֆիզիկայի և իրավաբանության ոլորտներում: 25 տարի աշխատել է Իրանի պետական ռադիո-հեռուստատեսության հայերեն ռադիոժամում, որպես լուրերի հաղորդավար, խմբագիր և մեկնաբան: Հայաստանի և Արցախի թեմաներով հայերեն, պարսկերեն ու անգլերեն հոդվածներով համագործակցել է իրանական ու հայկական կայքերի և հետազոտական հաստատությունների հետ:

Guest(s):

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Pashinyan goes to Moscow | Elections | POW debacle | Covid Update | Economy (Ep #57) - Apr 11, 2021 [EP57]

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Economy, Politics, Armenian Church, NATO | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 11, 2021

Topics:

  • Mr. Pashinyan goes to Moscow
  • Election Politics
  • The POW debacle
  • A Coronavirus Update
  • The State of the Economy

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Episode 57 | Recorded: April 12, 2021

Pashinyan goes to Moscow | Elections | POW debacle | Covid Update | Economy (Ep #57) - Apr 11, 2021 [EP57]

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 13, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Economy, Politics, Armenian Church, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - April 11, 2021

Topics:

  • Mr. Pashinyan goes to Moscow
  • Election Politics
  • The POW debacle
  • A Coronavirus Update
  • The State of the Economy

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian
  • Hrant Mikaelian

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian
  • Hovik Manucharyan

Episode 57 | Recorded: April 12, 2021

Armen Ashotyan - Opposition Talks | Ep 44, Jan 19, 2021 [EP44]

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 19, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Azerbaijan, Russia, China, European Union, Genocide, Geopolitics, Turkey | Series: cog

Guest:

Topics:

  • What took place in 2018?
  • Why did RPA support Vazgen Manukyan as PM candidate?
  • Nov. 9/10 ceasefire agreement & Jan 11 statement
  • Is the RPA truly serious about removing Pashinyan? Why hasn’t the opposition mobilized more people onto the streets?
  • Lessons learned from Dec. 2018 elections.

Episode 44 | Recorded on January 17, 2021

Armen Ashotyan - Opposition Talks | Ep 44, Jan 19, 2021 [EP44]

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 19, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Armenian Genocide, Azerbaijan, Russia, China, European Union, Genocide, Geopolitics, Turkey

Guest:

Topics:

  • What took place in 2018?
  • Why did RPA support Vazgen Manukyan as PM candidate?
  • Nov. 9/10 ceasefire agreement & Jan 11 statement
  • Is the RPA truly serious about removing Pashinyan? Why hasn’t the opposition mobilized more people onto the streets?
  • Lessons learned from Dec. 2018 elections.

Episode 44 | Recorded on January 17, 2021