Falsehood in the Pursuit of Power: A Mirror Reflection of Sargsyan and Pashinyan
Serzh Sargsyan and Nikol Pashinyan — beyond serving the same geopolitical center — are known to share another common feature: the practice of making electoral promises that remain unfulfilled.
The distinction lies primarily in style. Sargsyan’s promises were often framed in broad and generalized terms. He spoke about the creation of free economic zones in various parts of the country without specifying locations or timelines. He referred to projected population growth by 2040 and even alluded to winning the Champions League trophy. He publicly assured that he would never seek the positions of prime minister or president again. He was also categorical in asserting that Artsakh would never become part of Azerbaijan.
By contrast, Pashinyan’s promises were presented in a more detailed and concrete manner, frequently referring to the construction of factories, job creation, and substantial inflows of investment.
During the 2018 election campaign, Pashinyan stated that the Russian company Ecotehprom would invest between 285 and 340 million USD in Armenia’s economy. According to his statements, the company planned to establish production of calcined soda, salt, and glass. It later emerged that the company’s statutory capital amounted to 10,000 Russian rubles and that it reportedly had only one employee.
On November 20, 2018, at the height of the election campaign, Pashinyan announced that a new sugar production plant would be opened in Sevan. He pledged to reopen the enterprise that had operated during the presidency of Robert Kocharyan and was later closed under Sargsyan’s administration. However, the plant has not resumed operations.
During the same period, Pashinyan promised the opening of a household appliance manufacturing factory and attended its official launch ceremony a month later. Shortly afterward, it was announced that locally produced televisions would be available for sale. It later became known that the televisions in question had been manufactured in China.
Pashinyan also announced the establishment of a new enterprise based on “Armelectromach,” with initial investments projected at 5–7 million USD, later expected to increase to 10–15 million USD. The project was to be implemented by Armen Harutyunyan, an Armenian by origin, head of the Lithuanian company “Beltekhnika.” According to available information, the initiative has yet to be realized.
In November 2018, during another campaign meeting, Pashinyan declared that “Recom” intended to invest 100 million USD in the construction of a plant for the production of photovoltaic panels. This promise likewise remained unfulfilled.
Beyond the examples listed above, numerous additional pledges were made that have not been implemented.
Perhaps the most emblematic contrast lies in two widely cited statements: Sargsyan’s assurance that Artsakh would never become part of Azerbaijan, and Pashinyan’s declaration, “Artsakh is Armenia, full stop.”
