A Return to the Left

Spring 2018 was a watershed period for Armenia. The country had just transitioned into a parliamentary system, and the Republican party had nominated Serge Sarkisian, president since 2008, to the role of prime minister. Sarkisian’s 10 year rule was marked by corruption, growing poverty, emigration, the consolidation of monopolies, and the continuation of the oligarchic rule that had taken root in Armenia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Sarkisian’s nomination to the role of prime minister was met by mass protests initiated by opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan. Eventually, Sarkisian resigned, and the parliament elected Pashinyan as the new Prime Minister, however holding a significant sway over the parliament. Since his election, Pashinyan has maintained the mass public support he enjoys, culminating in the crushing victory of his candidate in the municipal election of Yerevan by gaining over 80% of the votes. His rise to power as well as his call for elections to take place in December 2018 has led critics to claim that Pashinyan is a dictator in making, planning to create a one party rule. Critics have also stated that the “people” are creating a new idol, blindly following a leader.

I believe it is important to take a look at the political and ideological context in which the events in Armenia took place. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Armenia transformed into a free market economy, adopting neo-liberal policies to deal with economic, social and societal issues. It is important to stress here that the package of the policies in general (obviously there are differences as well) have been similar during the tenures of the three post-independence Presidents, starting with Levon Ter-petrosyan, all the way to Serge Sarkisian. Pashinyan has expressed that he does not believe in “-isms,” but he is a liberal to the core, and his plans on tax reforms, and his decision on the privatization of the pensions have demonstrated that.