Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of a protest movement opposing the Armenian government’s handover of Tavush Province border land to Azerbaijan, hinted that he might challenge Nikol Pashinyan as Armenia’s next prime minister in 2026.

Galstanyan today, referring to a suggestion by former Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanian that he run for the post in the 2026 parliamentary election, said: "I have neither had such ambitions, nor do I have any desire, but if the people want it, and it is God's will, and the Armenian patriarch blesses it, who am I to say no?"

Oskanian, in a Facebook post yesterday, urged citizens to serve as Galstanyan's "soldiers".