Polarization in Armenia: Signs of Autocratization

The 2022 Democracy Report finds that Armenia is one of the world’s top ten democratizers. A large- scale pro-democratic mobilization in 2018 during the “Velvet” Revolution replaced a corrupt government with a democratically elected one. However, this week’s graph reveals a recent concerning trend in Armenia. Society in Armenia is increasingly polarized on the new government’s handling of the territorial conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, which is internationally regarded as part of Azerbaijan. The cease-fire agreed to by the government was perceived as a surrender by many Armenians and resulted in violent riots in the Parliament building, described as an attempted coup. This incident is reflected as an increased mobilization for autocracy in 2021. As polarization in public opinion is often a sign that the country is to start autocratizing, close attention to Armenian democracy is warranted.

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