Russian–Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan has accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of bringing ‘one tonne of hallucinogenic mushrooms’ from China and making statements under their influence, prompting Pashinyan to say he would sue Karapetyan in response.
Karapetyan made the remarks during a press briefing on Thursday, in what appeared to be his first livestreamed public address, urging journalists not to take Pashinyan’s statements seriously.
Pashinyan responded shortly afterwards on his Facebook page, saying that he would sue Karapetyan.
‘Naturally, I am going to sue [Karapetyan] and, in the legal sense of the word, make [Karapetyan] eat one tonne of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Excuse my harsh language, but in the end, everything has its limits’, Pashinyan said.
The exchange marks the latest round of increasingly harsh political rhetoric as Armenia approaches the start of the official pre-election campaign period on 8 May.
Previously, Pashinyan and his opponents had exchanged similar mockery and challenges online, testing each other’s physical and intellectual abilities.
According to public polling, Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia Alliance is expected to be the main challenger to Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party in the parliamentary elections scheduled for 7 June.
Karapetyan’s briefing was held in his mansion in Yerevan as he remains under house arrest — which was extended by three months in mid-April — on charges of calling for a coup and money laundering.
Despite being named its prime ministerial candidate, Karapetyan has not been included in the alliance’s electoral list. His nomination has sparked controversy due to legal requirements that stipulate that candidates for the position should hold only Armenian citizenship and have resided in the country for the past four years — requirements Karapetyan does not mean.
Karapetyan announced in April that he had initiated the process of renouncing his Russian and Cypriot citizenship ahead of the elections.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
