The resignations of two government ministers as well as the heads of Armenia’s judicial oversight body, tax and customs service and two law-enforcement agencies were announced in the morning three days after Pashinian publicly lamented a continuing lack of “justice” in the country.
“Dear representatives of the judicial and security system, my patience has run out,” the premier said during a cabinet meeting, admitting the failure of relevant reforms announced by him years ago.
Representatives of Armenia’s two main opposition groups described the outburst and the ensuing resignations as a publicity stunt aimed at reversing a decline in Pashinian’s approval ratings. They said he is simply scared of losing the general elections due in June 2026 and wants to trick Armenians into believing that he is not responsible for his government’s failings and can still turn things around.
“He is trying to salvage his crumbling ratings, hoping to be able to blame the officials who have met the fate of his [newly shaven] beard for the people’s legitimate anger and disappointment,” Levon Kocharian, a parliament deputy from the main opposition Hayastan alliance, wrote in a Facebook post.
Kocharian, whose father Robert Kocharian had ruled Armenia from 1998-2008 and now leads Hayastan, was confident that voters will not buy into that because they know full well that Pashinian is “the one who decides key issues in all those agencies.”
Tigran Abrahamian, another opposition lawmaker representing the Pativ Unem bloc, said Pashinian can no longer score points with Armenians with criminal cases against their former rulers, including Robert Kocharian. He may therefore start “sacrificing his own teammates” in advance of the elections, Abrahamian told reporters.
Earlier this year, the Armenian press was rife with speculation that Pashinian could call snap elections in a bid to wrong-foot the opposition and increase his chances of holding on to power. Some commentators critical of the government said the spate of resignations suggests that this is still one of the possible scenarios.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary leader of the ruling Civil Contract party, Hayk Konjorian, insisted that the six officials were forced out because Pashinian was dissatisfied with their performance. He did not specify where exactly they failed at.
“People in Armenia have a demand for justice,” said Konjorian.