Armenia’s third president and Republican Party leader Serzh Sargsyan told students and faculty at the Armenian University that “the overwhelming majority of the opposition forces want to gain power first, and only then seek regime change.”

“This is a critical issue,” Sargsyan said, according to Aysor.am. “One of the opposition’s main problems is that its overwhelming majority is primarily interested in finding its own place within the current power structure before pushing for a change of leadership. I believe it should be the other way around.”

He clarified that his party is not proposing a candidate for prime minister because their current goal is not to hold that office but to bring about regime change.

Sargsyan also addressed concerns voiced by parts of society that a new government might end up worse than the current administration.

“Well, you can always say that,” he said. “But how much worse can things really get? Every time people tell us, ‘This is rock bottom,’ someone knocks from below and says, ‘Guys, there’s still room to fall.’ Obsession with power always leads to bad outcomes.”

He emphasized that alongside political forces and civil society, Armenia’s law enforcement system also plays a major role in achieving regime change, according to a report by RFE.RL.

“What’s our goal—change the government or just act as a constructive opposition within it? That’s the key question. If we had functioning institutions that made decisions based on national interest rather than financial dependency, then we’d follow the order of things, wait for elections, participate, and see how things turn out. But functioning institutions, in my view, are those that make sound decisions not based on ‘Will we get funded this month?’ but on the interests of the country,” he said, without elaborating further.

He also commented on his relationship with Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan, assuring that the latter is not his enemy.

“My struggle isn’t about gaining influence in Armenia—it’s about changing the regime,” Sargsyan declared.

Published observations indicate that the two former presidents differ in their approaches to regime change: unlike Sargsyan, Kocharyan believes that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan can be removed through elections.

Sargsyan also stated last week that the time has come for Pashinyan to step down, and the Republican Party has a plan in place, though details remain undisclosed.