Political disorders after defeat in Karabakh war ‘draw Armenia closer to autocratic tendencies’ – Freedom House  

The political instabilities that followed the defeat in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) war threaten to destabilize the Armenian government, bringing the country closer to the autocratic tendencies of its neighbors, Freedom House has said in its recently released Freedom in the World 2021 report.

The authors of the document, entitled Democracy under Siege, also highlight the Azerbaijani president’s strengthening positions after gaining advantage over Armenians in the 44-day fighting.

“The fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh has had spillover effects for democracy. In addition to strengthening the rule of Azerbaijan’s authoritarian president, Ilham Aliyev, the conflict threatens to destabilize the government in Armenia. A rare bright spot in a region replete with deeply entrenched authoritarian leaders, Armenia has experienced tentative gains in freedom since mass antigovernment protests erupted in 2018 and citizens voted in a more reform-minded government. But Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s capitulation in the war sparked a violent reaction among some opponents, who stormed the parliament in November and physically attacked the speaker.

“Such disorder threatens the country’s hard-won progress, and could set off a chain of events that draws Armenia closer to the autocratic tendencies of its neighbors,” reads the document.