Armenian PM Pashinyan demands early elections for church leader

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called for early elections for the Catholicos of All Armenians.

“Early elections must definitely take place. But early elections for the Catholicos of All Armenians,” the prime minister wrote on Facebook, per Caliber.Az.

This demand follows a months-long feud between Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), Catholicos Garegin II, marked by allegations of moral misconduct, arrests of clergy, and accusations of a coup plot. This conflict has intensified Armenia’s domestic crisis and raised concerns about state interference in religious affairs.

The dispute began after Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Second Karabakh War, which triggered widespread protests. Garegin II called for Pashinyan’s resignation in December 2020, citing national instability. The tension escalated further following Armenia’s return of four border villages to Azerbaijan in May 2024, leading to protests led by the AAC and opposition figures such as Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, head of the “Holy Struggle” movement, demanding Pashinyan’s resignation and accusing his government of betraying national interests.

In response, the Armenian government has conducted over 90 searches, detaining at least 14 individuals, including senior clerics and opposition activists, on charges of terrorism and plotting a coup. Pashinyan has publicly accused the AAC, particularly Garegin II, of corruption and moral violations, including breaching celibacy vows, and has called for his resignation.

By Khagan Isayev