The Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan again criticised Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for his campaign rhetoric, which according to Tatoyan heightened tensions in the country. Tatoyan described Pashinyan’s actions of repeatedly brandished a hammer during his recent campaign rallies as “extremely concerning.” He also deplored Pashinyan’s threats to “throw on the ground” and “bang against the wall” opposition supporters who would try to illegally influence the outcome of the general elections. “The use of phrases such as ‘make them lie on asphalt’ and ‘bang against the wall,’ which are addressed to a circle of unknown individuals and are extremely dangerous in terms of human rights, must be stopped,” the ombudsman said in a statement. “This unacceptable rhetoric is associated with mass violations of human rights,” Tatoyan emphasised.

The hammer on the campaign trail was meant to symbolise a popular “steel mandate” which Pashinyan says he needs to continue ruling Armenia with a firmer hand. At his campaign rally in the Syunik province, where most town and village mayors have been openly defying him after the Second Karabakh war, Pashinyan described them as “rusty nails” that would be taken out by his hammer after the elections. “With this mandate we will break their [bank] accounts, destroy their firms and shove each of these criminal upstarts into holes on your behalf,” he said. In Tatoyan’s words, Pashinyan’s recourse to this analogy has triggered “dangerous discussions” on social media, with hardcore supporters and opponents of the current Armenian government openly threatening violent reprisals. 

The leader of the Republican Party Serzh Sargsyan hit back at Pashinyan’s statements, saying that the Prime Minister's “steel revolution” needs to be countered with a “shield made of a firmer substance and a truncheon.” “Right after the elections we will go after you [Pashinyan] with this mandate. Don’t tell us later that we didn’t warn you,” Sargsyan stressed.