SHIFTS IN ARMENIAN POLITICS: PERSISTENT DEMOCRATIC DEFICITS
Igor Kotler
From 2023 to 2025, Armenia has undergone a period of pronounced political volatility characterized by internal unrest, contested policy reforms, and escalating concerns regarding the erosion of democratic norms. The consequences of the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh crisis precipitated a significant transformation in the country’s political environment, weakening public confidence in state institutions and intensifying opposition to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s leadership. Confronted with territorial concessions to Azerbaijan, widespread public demonstrations, and mounting accusations of authoritarian tendencies, the government faced growing tensions with opposition forces and influential actors, including the Armenian Apostolic Church. This period has been marked by deepening social polarization, the weakening of institutional checks and balances, and a strategic realignment in Armenia’s foreign policy, shifting its orientation from Russia toward Western alliances. These political developments highlight the precarious equilibrium between the government’s efforts to maintain stability and the increasingly widespread perception that essential democratic principles are being.
compromised.
