The most democratic shoulder of the region
During the previous four and a half years, democracy in Armenia has undergone consistent and methodical degradation. Nikol Pashinyan, who came to power in a democratic way with a revolutionary, i.e., at least one-faced perception, has become an authoritarian leader with all the characteristic features over the years. First of all, he implemented all the steps for which he had been criticizing the previous authorities for decades, and largely due to that he came to power.
Today’s convoy of Nikol Pashinyan, who used to mock the “convoyship-state” is counted with dozenss of cars, almost all the representatives of his government are happy to use not cheap official cars. Today, Pashinyan, who used to humiliate the “bodyguards“, walks around with dozens of them, and the taxpayers pay for his bodyguards’ salaries, which record a large increase every year.
The close and non-close circle of Nikol Pashinyan, who criticizes corruption and looting, today squanders state funds without restraint, purchases from one person and state orders amounting to millions of dollars have become a common thing, and those who made “systemic corruption” a banner enjoy “systemic bonuses” today. Former oligarchs have become “big businessmen” and receive benefits of tens of millions of drams by the government decision…
In a word, Nikol Pashinyan, personally, and his government, collectively, today fully bears all the characteristics, referring to which he himself described the Armenian government as authoritarian, despotic, corrupt, looting and so on for decades. But Nikol Pashinyan’s authoritarian pretentions are not limited to that. He identifies himself with the state in a delicate manner and uses the state to satisfy his own whims. He forbids the entry of foreigners and Armenians from Diaspora who criticize him, and closes the exit of Armenia to the opposition members who have RA citizenship. The image becomes complete when we remember that all these decisions are made in state offices where Nikol Pashinyan’s photos hang. As an ordinary cunning manipulator, Nikol Pashinyan takes all these authoritarian steps with the packaging of “law”, “legality”, “democracy”, which melt the Western ambassadors in Armenia and sends equally touching reports to their governments. And they, once again showing that they are melting from the “conquests of Armenian democracy”, give democratic pats on Nikol Pashinyan’s shoulder.
It seems to Pashinyan that his shoulder is really the most democratic in the region, but it is more likely that he is cunning enough to understand that the purpose of the pat is not the appreciation of the democratic merits of his shoulder, but the geopolitical interests of those who caress him. And for them, it doesn’t matter the level of democratization, because they are used to shaking pure dictatorial hands as well, provided that the latter satisfy the geopolitical interest of their countries.
That’s how, turning his shoulder towards the world, Nikol Pashinyan is developing the Armenian authoritarianism at the expense of Armenia’s interests, at the expense of real democracy, but most importantly, to strengthen his own power.
Harutyun Avetisyan
