Media Keep Silent about Serzh Sargsyan’s 10% Rating

The Armenian media responds quickly to changes in confidence ratings towards the leaders of western countries by their own population. However, the majority of local media do not write about Serzh Sargsyan’s confidence rating in Armenia.

10 Years, 10 Percent

On August 23, during the press conference held in “Pastark” press club, sociologist Aharon Adibekyan presented the results of yet another survey, stating that Serzh Sargsyan’s popularity rating is 10 percent. According to the sociologist, Karen Karapetyan’s and Gagik Tsarukyan’s ratings were respectively 60 and 20 percent. However, all the media outlets covering Adibekyan’s press conference (except for rusarminfo.ru) only presented the part of the sociologist’s statement that referred to the Prime Minister and Tsarukyan, keeping silent on Serzh Sargsyan’s low rating. It is noteworthy that the aforementioned Russian-language media outlet, whose publications are often shared by the social platforms of the Russian Embassy in Armenia, freely publishes this information, trying to emphasize Karen Karapetyan’s much higher rating.

The only TV station that covered Adibekyan’s press conference, namely, Kentron TV, used only part of his statement that referred to his account of the possibility that “the current situation in the country may lead to social discontent, but there will be no grounds for people coming out to the streets and starting a long-term struggle”. Globnews.am also published a video from the press conference with a similar segment. Everybody preferred to remain silent on Serzh Sargsyan’s 10-percent rating.

The “Orakarg” program on the Armenian H1 Public TV Company did not cover the press conference either, but this program also often refers to the negative attitude towards Macron or Trump in their countries, together with comments about the events taking place in the US.

“Our Own Problems” 

Within the frames of coverage of Adibekyan’s press conference, “Armenpress” state news agency writes that the Armenian society expects “the fairest decisions from Karen Karapetyan”, again failing to address the information about Serzh Sargsyan. Instead, “Armenpress” prefers to talk about the new “record low rating” of President Trump. Tert.am also writes about Trump’s record-low rating but again prefers to be limited by part of Adibekyan’s press conference related to the prime minister’s “fairest decisions”.

Instead of giving the people the opportunity to know the confidence rating of their own president, the Armenian reader is regularly told that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s rating has declined by 10 points, reaching 59%, or the percentage of French people who are satisfied with Macron’s activity has declined by 10%. But they prefer not to disclose that Serzh Sargsyan’s rating forms 10 percent only.