Armenia’s Changing Political Winds Threaten a Rare Moment of Stability

Armenia’s Changing Political Winds Threaten a Rare Moment of Stability
Opposition demonstrators block the entrance of an underground carriage during a protest against former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s potential move to the prime minister’s seat, Yerevan, April 16, 2018 (PAN Photo via AP).

Last month, Armenia’s National Assembly elected onetime Prime Minister Armen Sarkissian as the country’s next president, replacing the long-tenured Serzh Sargsyan as head of state. It was the first presidential election since a 2015 constitutional referendum that was designed to shift power in Armenia from the presidency to parliament and, mainly, the prime minister. For the first time, Armenia’s president was selected by the National Assembly, rather than by popular vote.

While presidential votes have typically been contentious affairs in Armenia, Sarkissian’s election was initially met with comparative shrugs, and not just because the real power will now shift to the prime minister’s office, which Sargsyan is widely expected to slide into. Despite the political changes, the elections initially coincided with a rare period of relative stability in Armenia. Yet the country’s inherently volatile politics and strategic position make any reprieve fragile at best, as evidenced by the growing protests against Sargsyan’s nomination as prime minister in the capital, Yerevan.*

Compared to the controversial presidential election that vaulted Sargsyan to the presidency 10 years ago, the 2018 edition was a pointedly subdued affair. Unlike 2008, Sarkissian’s election avoided the tumult typically associated with direct elections in Armenia, which tend to be marred by allegations of administrative abuses and vote-rigging, and seemed to benefit from broad if variously ambivalent public acceptance of the outcome, despite some opposition activity. Some of this is probably attributable to the indirect nature of the election and the greatly diminished presidency. It also helps that Sarkissian himself, a former prime minister and previous ambassador to the United Kingdom, has a reputation for geniality and competence.

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review