Margarita Simonyan suggested that Armenian voters had simply “eaten too much gingerbread,” implying that a tougher approach might now be required.

Such assessments raise a broader question: should election results be viewed as a reflection of citizens’ democratic choice, or as something that needs to be “corrected” when the outcome does not meet certain expectations?

If voters once again make a choice that some observers consider “wrong,” will the explanation continue to focus on the electorate, or will there also be room to reflect on whether the message and methods of those seeking to influence public opinion are effective in the first place?