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50 Opinion bne June 2018
Armenia scores very poorly in almost all the international rankings.
COMMENT: Armenia: the dire rankings
behind its Velvet Revolution
Kakha Baindurashvili in Tbilisi
On May 8, Nikol Pashinian, who led the massive protests that ousted Armenia's longstanding head of state turned prime minister Serzh Sargsyan, who was in power for over a decade, was elected prime minister by MPs.
Due to constitutional changes put in place by Sargsyan that increased the powers of the office of prime minister, Pashinian has not only become the fourth leader of the Republic of Armenia since it achieved independence, he has also gained the expanded powers his predecessor intended for himself.
Unlike his predecessors, Pashinian is neither a dissident nor shaped by a military background. He is the first of his kind
in Armenia’s political history: a former newspaper editor, Pashinian entered politics via the media. As might be expected from a man with his background, the new prime minister’s look and speech are informal and are oriented to the young and the future. These were vital elements in driving the street demonstrations, creating the so-called Armenian Velvet Revolution. There has been huge popular demand for a political reshuffle, equality, justice, and a better future.
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The Armenian events caught many observers by surprise; even the most well-informed Russian thinkers were confused by the sudden rise of a self-made politician. Hardly anyone
“Hardly anyone believed the opposition could win a victory so fast”
believed the opposition could win a victory so fast. They were caught off guard by the power of the street over the established political elite – at least for now as things stand.
Now the new administration is in place, the first major question it must tackle is foreign policy – and most importantly the Pashinian policy towards Russia.
In the current turbulent geopolitical climate, it is highly unlikely the new government will revise its Russo-Armenian relations. Changes to the previous set-up won’t happen soon,