Central Train Station, Yerevan, Armenia © Onnik James Krikorian 2007
On November 14, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan lambasted the country’s 1990 Declaration of Independence, equating the historical document to the non-existence of the current Republic. The issue of the declaration, which contains claims to what is considered sovereign Azerbaijani territory in the form of the former Soviet-era “Mountainous Region of Karabakh,” then an autonomous district, has proven to be the main obstacle to Yerevan and Baku finally concluding a long-anticipated peace agreement . The outcry about these comments was significant but soon diminished, perhaps by design, when Pashinyan later the same evening posted a video on social media shaving off his now trademark beard. Although unshaven for his career prior to the 2018 street protests that brought him to power, Pashinyan has sported a beard ever since and created a new post-revolutionary image. While some media took a light-hearted approach to the change, others were more sarcastic, with one regional analyst asking if this was “the end of the revolution”.
Pashinyan has long been a populist ready to distract attention from controversial decisions. Adding to this speculation that political intent was behind the move, many noticed that Pashinyan appeared to wink at the camera at the end. In an interview aired on November 22, Pashinyan finally spoke about the new image, claiming it was done to celebrate one of his daughter’s birthdays). Nonetheless, his critics maintain that along with his regularly posted social media videos, including resuming bicycling at home and on official visits abroad, the real reason was “political puppetry” ahead of elections due to be held no later than June 2026.
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Adding to the speculation, Pashinyan has further explained the dismissals and replacements as part of a new strategy to distinguish between officials who had served in the governments of his unpopular predecessors and those who took part in or eventually supported his much-touted 2018 revolution. Some, however, are refusing to leave their positions. According to press reports, two Civil Contract members of parliament initially ignored the message to resign their parliamentary mandates. One did so, while the other refused to. The Anti-Corruption Committee summoned the renegade deputy. The opposition claims that ideological differences could also be the reason for removing the deputies.
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In one video discussion, two Armenian political commentators linked the shaving of his beard, the high-profile dismissals via resignation, and preparing for new elections. They further maintain that Pashinyan seeks assured control over power structures to prevent any challenge to his leadership within his own party structure. They also compare such a possibility to the palace coup that deposed Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, when he too was ready to sign a compromise peace agreement with Azerbaijan in 1998 amid a weak government, weaker opposition, and widespread public apathy and precarious legitimacy. Pashinyan’s recent actions point to a potential effort to consolidate power, bolster public confidence, and navigate the precarious road to potential re-election, all while balancing the delicate and contentious issue of peace with Azerbaijan.
The full piece is available here.
