Politics

Proposed changes to Armenia’s Electoral Code began in the summer of 2018. Almost three years later, the electoral reform bill has been sent to the Venice Commission for an expert opinion. Will the bill make its way into law before potential early elections, if at all?

The lifting of blockades is presented as a benefit for Armenia, but some business leaders doubt that the Government is prepared for accompanying risks to the Armenian economy.

The November 10 ceasefire agreement ended the 2020 Artsakh War, but the issue of demarcating the new state borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been a major concern since then.

The 2020 Artsakh War put to the test long-held assumptions about the roles of neighbors and global players in the region. Some maintained and reinforced their significance and role in the region, others raised their importance and some were invisible.

When Armenia declared independence in 1991, there was still a large contingent of Soviet troops in the country. Russian military presence, however, stretches back to the early 19th century and now, after the 2020 Artsakh War, is expanding.

Armenia’s top military brass called for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation on Thursday. Pashinyan considered it to be an attempt at a military coup and said that the era of leniency is over. A recap of the deepening political tensions in the country.

Many assumed that Turkey’s direct involvement in the 2020 Artsakh War and thereby its intrusion into Russia’s “near abroad” would be met with hostility by Russia, or at least vocal condemnation. The reaction was mild, writes Zaven Sargsian.

Given the growing sense of global multipolarity and the apparent twilight years of the American-anchored liberal international order, Armenia cannot solely rely on friends and allies around the globe to ensure its survival. A more realistic approach is necessary.

Armenia’s air defense systems were largely ineffective against the onslaught of combat and reconnaissance UAVs used by the Azerbaijani military. The single most important UAV used in the 2020 Artsakh War was the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2.

Harout Manougian presents a comprehensive overview of the different alliances and government coalitions in parliamentary elections since Armenia’s independence in 1991.