Tag: Harout Manougian

Normally, the municipal election to elect a new city council for the city of Vedi would not have attracted much attention. However, it highlighted a number of trends taking root in Armenia’s post-war political environment.

After weeks of blocking gas supply to the population of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched an attack in the Askeran region, taking control of Parukh village and surrounding positions. While the international community has offered concern, sanctions are what’s needed.

Electricity prices for middle-class families increased for the first time since the 2015 Electric Yerevan protests. Water prices increased for the first time since 2017. As in other countries, life is getting more expensive in Armenia.

Canada has a finely-crafted international image as a champion of human rights. While different factors contributed to the outcome of the 2020 Artsakh War, one of them, the Turkish Bayraktar drone used against Artsakh, was heavily reliant on target acquisition optics made by a Canadian company.

Municipal elections will take place in Armenia throughout the fall and serve as an important indicator for the future direction of Armenian politics. Harout Manougian breaks it down.

July 5 marks Constitution Day in Armenia. Constitutional reform is still on the mind of the re-elected Prime Minister, whose approach to forming a constitutional package has so far greatly resembled that of his predecessors. But there are more participatory models that could be adopted.

Nikol Pashinyan renewed his parliamentary majority through Sunday’s June 20 early parliamentary election and will keep his position as Prime Minister of Armenia. Harout Manougian translates the election results into seats.

The early parliamentary election was officially triggered on May 10, 2021. Harout Manougian looks at the main possible scenarios for the outcome of the election, based on party rankings from recent poll results.

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?

Armenia’s President expressed his desire to re-introduce direct presidential elections to Armenia. Doing so could place a stumbling block in the way of Armenia’s democratic consolidation.

The past year has been extremely tumultuous for Armenia: from COVID-19 to the 2020 Artsakh War. In recent weeks Armenia's currency has fluctuated to the point that the Central Bank of Armenia was forced to intervene. EVN Report's Harout Manougian talks about his experience with the blips in the exchange rate.

Western countries imposed sanctions on Belarus’ Aleksandr Lukashenko for cracking down on democracy and attacking civilians. Ilham Aliyev has actually been more brutal but has not been penalized.

Following Armenia’s major military defeat in Artsakh, many people in the country, including a number of political forces, are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Such a move could trigger a number of different scenarios.

Statistics about numbers of civilians and young conscripts killed in conflict often water down the true magnitude of human loss. This is the story of one family’s struggle through the 2020 Artsakh War.

Dual citizens cannot run in Armenian parliamentary elections, but that hasn’t always been the case.

How common is your Armenian name? How many genocide survivors remain in Armenia? Which are Armenia’s largest cities? An analysis of Armenia’s voter list reveals the answers.

Several political parties in Armenia are members of officially registered European political parties in the European Parliament. This affiliation offers an opportunity to deepen international cooperation and conduct parliamentary diplomacy.

The latest IRI poll shows that 71% are satisfied with how the Armenian government has handled the COVID-19 situation, but apprehension about future economic consequences remain.

Though Armenia is not unique, its embrace of Facebook has been unconditional, which may carry national security implications.

I was so privileged that I had never reflected on my privilege before, writes Harout Manougian, in lieu of this week’s “It Has To Be Said” editorial.

Armenian banks offer 9% interest on a one-year term deposit. Harout Manougian explains what you need to know before opening an account.

Exactly two years ago, MPs voted for Serzh Sargsyan to become Prime Minister and stay in office beyond his ten-year limit. That should never be allowed to happen again.

Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on March 31. While voter turnout was high (72.7%), no presidential candidate received the required majority of votes, necessitating a runoff election to take place in two weeks.

A summary of an analysis assessing the performance of Armenia’s current electoral system, focusing on regional representation and discussing the unsuccessful proposal to abandon district-based open lists in 2018 and introducing a new compromise.

This analysis by Harout Manougian assesses the performance of Armenia’s current electoral system in a number of areas, focusing on regional representation. It discusses the unsuccessful proposal to abandon district-based open lists in 2018 and introduces a new compromise between that proposal and the status quo.

Voters will be given masks, hand sanitizer and their own pen as the vote looks set to go ahead on March 31 as originally planned.

Artsakh voters will be heading to the polls on March 31. Incumbent President Bako Sahakyan is not seeking another term. Meet the political candidates vying for support and the political backdrop under which they are campaigning.

Internet voting introduces major risks but it is used by a small group of people in Armenian elections.

Armenia’s National Assembly voted to call a constitutional referendum yesterday, which, if passed, would dismiss seven of the nine judges currently sitting on the Constitutional Court.

Since Armenia’s independence, every head of government has shaped the country’s Constitution; Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has made it clear that he will not be an exception.

Western Armenian is now officially recognized by the ISO, enabling a Wikipedia site and opening the door for Google Translate, software localizations and more.

The International Republican Institute recently published its fourth public opinion survey since the Velvet Revolution. The survey found that a healthy majority of Armenians believe the country is heading in the right direction.

Are you interested in purchasing a home in Yerevan? If so, Harout Manougian offers some invaluable information and advice and more importantly, tips on how to avoid the inevitable pitfalls in an unregulated real estate market.