Armenian PM: Former political elite must be removed after 2026 elections

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the country’s political elite of previous years should be completely removed from Armenia’s political arena after the 2026 parliamentary elections.

According to Caliber.Az, Pashinyan made the remarks while speaking with journalists, stressing that those who “previously led Armenia and kept it trapped” must be “pushed out and have no place in the country’s political life.” He added that he is confident this is exactly what will happen.

Pashinyan noted that the public is weary of constant debates framed as “former vs. current” officials, saying such discussions fall outside the norms of political culture and decency.

“We, as a party, are discussing the need to move away from this logic,” he said.

The prime minister argued that Armenia needs to establish healthy rules for political life — rules in which insults and abusive language have no place, especially in political debates.

Pashinyan also acknowledged, with a touch of irony, that he himself has not always met these standards. “If you say that I have also engaged in this, you would be right, which is why on Sundays I go to church to seek forgiveness for my sins,” he remarked.

By Tamilla Hasanova