An Armenian parliament deputy has been formally removed from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party after voicing discontent with the handling of a controversial case involving another pro-government lawmaker. The incident has raised questions about internal party discipline and its implications for Armenia’s political climate.
The lawmaker at the center of the controversy, Hovik Aghazaryan, is under criminal investigation after resisting Pashinyan’s request to vacate his parliamentary seat—a request reportedly sent via text message on November 17. Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Pashinyan presented senior party members with transcripts of Aghazaryan’s private communications, extracted from a mobile phone confiscated by law enforcement. The transcripts were used to accuse Aghazaryan of leaking classified information, though no formal charges have been filed yet.
Hakob Aslanyan, a fellow Civil Contract parliamentarian, criticized his party’s leadership on December 11 for leveraging Aghazaryan’s personal data for what he described as political purposes. Aslanyan, who is a personal friend of Aghazaryan, announced his intention to suspend his party membership in protest. However, within hours, he retracted his statement, and the governing board of Civil Contract, led by Pashinyan, promptly voted to expel him from the party and its parliamentary group.
Aslanyan’s expulsion came swiftly, despite his prior reputation as a vocal defender of Pashinyan’s government. His removal has drawn attention to the growing scrutiny of internal dissent within Civil Contract, particularly as Pashinyan’s administration faces mounting challenges ahead of the 2026 elections.
In a December 4 statement, Pashinyan declared that “political, moral, and other levers” would be employed to unseat Aghazaryan from the National Assembly. The Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC), which provided the mobile phone data to Pashinyan, has since launched a new criminal investigation against Aghazaryan. His lawyer anticipates that Prosecutor-General Anna Vardapetyan may soon seek parliamentary approval to strip Aghazaryan of immunity, paving the way for potential prosecution or arrest.
Aghazaryan, who remains defiant, has denounced the criminal proceedings and reaffirmed his intention to retain his parliamentary seat. The developments have sparked concerns among observers about the use of legal and administrative measures to silence dissenting voices, particularly as Armenia prepares for a critical electoral period.
