Armenia: pay rise for prime minister and ministers postponed by two months
- Published
- Place
- Yerevan, Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Armenia’s parliament has postponed by two months the review of a bill that sharply raises the salaries of the country’s top officials. The decision was taken on Thursday 12 November in the parliamentary committee on state and legal affairs. The rapporteur, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan, did not show up. The bill was due to take effect on 1 January 2027. It covers the prime minister, the president, deputy prime ministers, ministers, MPs, heads of courts and the prosecutor general. Nikol Pashinyan’s salary would rise from about 1.5 million to 2.662 million drams a month, almost 80% more. Committee chair Arusyak Julhakyan says the text needs more work.
The session was meant to be a formality. It was cut short. The bill amends the law on the remuneration of holders of state positions and state service positions. Its author is the government. And the minister in charge of defending it, Tigran Khachatryan, did not come.
Arusyak Julhakyan, who chairs the committee, did not explain his absence. She said further discussions were needed to improve the text. The government had told the committee the author would not attend. Postponement: two months. The committee and the public will be informed when the draft is ready to return to the agenda.
What the bill provides
The increases are steep. The prime minister currently earns about 1.498 million drams a month. He would move to 2.662 million, roughly 7,300 dollars before tax. Other posts would see their salaries almost double, including ministers.
The bill is not limited to the executive. It also covers the president, MPs, heads of courts and the prosecutor general. The rises were due to take effect on 1 January. With a two-month delay, that timetable looks hard to keep.
Bad timing for pensioners
The timing is awkward. On 9 November, the labour ministry confirmed that pensioners would not receive the extra 1,000 drams promised for January. The measure was to be funded by a reform of the funeral allowance, dropped after public protest. Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan then said there was no extra money for pensions in the 2027 budget.
The minimum pension therefore stays at 46,000 drams a month, about 127 dollars. The monthly salary planned for the prime minister equals almost 58 minimum pensions. According to Radio Free Europe’s Armenian service, the pension rise was cancelled just as senior officials and MPs were preparing for substantial pay increases, criticised by the opposition.
Analysis
The delay looks like a tactical retreat. On substance, the government has not withdrawn its bill. But it collides with the calendar. In the same week, pensioners lose a promised 1,000 drams, and the finance minister says everything has already been calculated in the 2027 budget. Hard, in that context, to defend in committee a prime minister’s salary multiplied by 1.8. The rapporteur’s absence and the vague explanations suggest the majority prefers to avoid the debate for now. The bill remains on the table.
Possible consequences
The bill is due back in committee in about two months. The 2027 budget follows its own timetable in parliament.
