Armenian PM slams lack of transparency in Armenian political parties

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has raised concerns over the internal workings of political parties in the country, questioning whether organisations lacking transparency should be allowed to contest elections.

Speaking during a parliamentary session on October 1, Pashinyan said that in many parties “90% of decision-making bodies consist of just one or two individuals”, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

He argued that citizens often only discover through the press who has been selected or promoted within party structures, calling this practice inconsistent with democratic standards.

“We are a democratic country. We must develop mechanisms to ensure that political parties operating in our country also comply with the rules of democracy and transparency,” Pashinyan told MPs.

The Prime Minister suggested that this issue could prompt a wider debate on whether such parties should be eligible to participate in elections.

“Why do conspiratorial structures take part in elections? Let them pursue their conspiracies elsewhere. We will identify them,” he said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev