The Armenian government has declined to disclose the amounts of bonuses that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, his deputy, and cabinet ministers will receive based on the evaluation of their work during the second half of last year.
In response to a written request from RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, the government said on March 24 it cannot provide information on the payments to the mentioned senior officials, citing restrictions under the country’s freedom of information and personal data laws, as well as the labor code.
Meanwhile, only several months ago, the government provided the Hetq online magazine with information on the amount of the prime minister’s bonus for the first half of 2025, which was about 12 million drams (approximately $31,500).
The government referred RFE/RL’s Armenian Service to a decision issued several weeks ago, which only specifies the total bonus funds to be allocated across government departments. According to that decision, more than 4.6 billion drams (about $12.1 million) will be distributed to state employees by the middle of the year. Officials in the executive branch have not yet received their bonuses.
Hefty bonuses for government officials have been criticized by opposition figures and civic activists, who claim the payments constitute a form of political corruption.
Critics have also argued that awarding cash to political allies and public sector employees is intended to secure their loyalty ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for June.
Prime Minister Pashinian and other officials have rejected these accusations, defending the bonuses. In January, Pashinian told reporters that the extra pay helps prevent corruption among senior officials.
“Armenia’s investment environment is changing significantly, and large-scale investments will soon flow into Armenia. There will be a lot of competition to implement investment projects in Armenia, and our assessment in this regard is that corruption risks could rise significantly, so we need to protect state officials against corruption risks,” he said.
Pashinian also argued that the bonuses are needed to retain skilled professionals within the government, preventing them from moving to the private sector.
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