Functioning of Government in Armenia – World Countries for Kids

The Civil Contract party, which got parliamentary majority through competitive elections, efficiently controls government policy and legislation. Even though Prime Minister Pashinyan promised to lessen the influence of business interests over policymaking, two influential businessmen entered the parliament on his party list. Some opposition lawmakers also maintain close ties to powerful businesspeople.

Moscow seemed to strengthen its influence over the Armenian government after mediating a November 2020 cease-fire between Azerbaijan and Armenia and deploying peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. Important components of national infrastructure, including energy supplies and railroads, are also dependent on Russia, and Russian border guards remained stationed at locations along Armenia’s border as of 2023. Nevertheless, Armenian authorities have been diversifying their international security partnerships after Azerbaijani forces blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh beginning in December of 2022 and then occupied the territory in September 2023 in spite of the presence of Russian peacekeepers.

Linkages between politicians, businesspeople, and public servants have historically influenced policy and led to selective application of the law. High-level government officials are seldom investigated despite clear sign of improper uses of their office. Though the government tried to investigate past wrongdoings and fortify anticorruption mechanisms after the 2018 revolution, those measures were significantly stalled by security challenges after the 2020 war with Azerbaijan.

Many media investigations into the heads of the Commission to Prevent Corruption (CPC) and the Anti-Corruption Committee have raised alarms about the genuine intentions of these bodies to tackle corruption. In December of 2023, CPC chair Haykuhi Harutyunyan was not re-elected as a member of CPC following accusations of improper behavior from the ruling party. Harutyunyan stated the claims amounted to a politicized campaign against her.

Transparency has historically been very limited, and application of asset-declaration rules for public officials has been strikingly weak. Armenia’s freedom of information law is erratically upheld. During the period from January to September of 2023, CPFE (the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression) recorded 106 cases in which the rights of journalists to receive and broadcast information were violated. In October, journalists were barred from entering the Yerevan municipal building to attend the inauguration of the newly elected mayor. Prime Minister Pashinyan re-established direct engagement with the media in 2023, holding four press conferences besides one question-and-answer session with citizens. He had not taken part in press conferences and other similar direct engagement since 2021. These steps can go a long way in increasing the openness and transparency in government operations.