Few of the nineteen political forces participating in Armenia’s June parliamentary election have included promises to fight corruption in their election programs.

There is no mention of the fight against corruption in the programs of five of these parties or alliances. Five haven’t submitted their election programs to the Central Election Commission. The programs of these forces are also not available on their official websites and social media pages.

In the election program of Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party, which has been ruling Armenia for almost eight years, the fight against corruption is mentioned in the section on reforms in the public administration sector, after the sub-program on the protection of stray animals.

The party states that the further development of the standards of good conduct of state officials and the anti-corruption system is of essential importance for increasing the efficiency of public administration. This assessment in the party’s program follows its promise to protect domestic and wild animals.

The party’s election program includes a list of one hundred measures that the party promises to implement if it wins the elections. In point 64 of the list, the party promises to increase the level of anti-corruption education and awareness and improve Armenia’s position in international anti-corruption rankings. The ruling party promises to continue returning illegally acquired property, which will include returning illegally privatized and leased forests, beaches, parks, gardens, school and kindergarten territories to the state and communities. The party also promises to ensure transparency and legality in state procurement.

The title of the election program of the Strong Armenia Alliance, led by businessman Samvel Karapetyan, suggests that it is primarily an economic program. The 73-page program does not have a separate section on the fight against corruption, and the word corruption is not mentioned at all. In the “message” section of its pre-election program, Strong Armenia mentions the provision of “transparent state and effective governance” in one sentence. There is an indirect reference to the fight against corruption in the promises related to reforms in the public administration sector and several other areas. For example, the promise to reduce the shadow economy, the promise to ensure transparency in the number and remuneration of state employees, etc.

The Armenia Alliance led by the former president Robert Kocharyan has not submitted its election program to the Central Election Commission. The “Transparency” subsection of the “Caring Armenia” section of the program posted on the alliance’s official website states that they must exclude conflicts of interest among officials.

The election program of the Prosperous Armenia party led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan,  does not mention the fight against corruption. The  program consists of ten points, where foreign policy, defense, and the economy are prioritized. On May 20, the party’s vision of post-war development was published. The 18-point document declares the fight against corruption a strategic goal.

The Wings of Unity party, led by former Armenia Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, promises to create “a real anti-corruption system, based on procedures and bodies based on digital technologies, as well as effective public oversight.” The party promises to introduce digital money to ensure transparency in state payments, the financial system, and reduce corruption. According to Wings of Unity, digital money will become the only means of payment in state procurement, which will neutralize corruption.

The New Force party, led by former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan, will abolish the statute of limitations for corruption crimes. The New Force’s election program stipulates that those convicted of corruption crimes will not have the opportunity to benefit from amnesty, conditional non-implementation of sentences, and other mitigating procedures.

Former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s  Armenian National Congress party, whose candidate for prime minister is former MP Levon Zurabyan, promises to fight against the phenomena that give rise to corruption by introducing a new model of public governance if it comes to power.

According to the party, ministries will be engaged in developing policies, and autonomous agencies will provide services. These agencies will also have independence in managing their budget. In addition, the party promises to create a service center (front-office) and a back-office of interdepartmental work  where the two departments will communicate electronically, encrypted. In other words, decision-makers will not know who is requesting a permit or license. By the same logic, service providers will not have the opportunity to influence decision-making. The party’s promises to fight corruption consist of ten points and are the most extensive compared to other political forces.

The election program of the Democratic Unity party led by Suren Petrosyan, describing the formation of the political elite, notes that the privatization process in the 1990s took place under the patronage of the government. Within the framework of the promise to nationalize the subsoil (mines) of Armenia, the party evaluates the current exploitation of mines as economic corruption and misappropriation of state resources. The Democratic Unity party promises to curb political corruption by limiting the activities of structures financed by external forces.

The election program of the DOG party of Vardan Ghukasyan, a former military policeman now on an international want list, includes a promise to fight corruption within the framework of cooperation with the European Union, through the development of anti-corruption institutions. Within the framework of personnel reforms in the police system, this party promises to remove people with a corrupt past from the system.

There are no references to the fight against corruption in the election programs of the Republic, Bright Armenia, Reformists, I Am Against Everyone and National Democratic Pole parties.

The election programs of the Alliance, Shnorhapetakan, For the sake of the Republic, Kocharian National Revival and National Awakening and Christian Democratic parties (we mentioned the Armenia Alliance above) are not published on the Central Election Commission website.

Failure to submit programs to the Commission does not entail any consequences. We also did not find their election programs on the official websites and social media pages of these political forces.