Ruling party backs down on controversial conscription bill

By Alexander Pracht

Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party voted down a controversial military service reform on Tuesday, rejecting a bill proposed by one of its own lawmakers, Hayk Sargsyan, that would allow citizens to shorten mandatory military service in exchange for large payments to the state budget.

Remarkably, Sargsyan himself was among the 87 lawmakers who voted against the proposal, saying he did so at Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s urging and would continue refining the draft. “I’m not abandoning the initiative,” he said, adding that further work was needed before resubmitting the bill.

Earlier in the day, the Civil Contract faction leader Hayk Konjoryan had made it clear the group would not support the proposal in its current form. Sargsyan, however, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service just a day earlier that he believed most of his colleagues were in favor and insisted that the measure was intended to curb illicit military exemptions rather than enable them.

Under the rejected draft, citizens aged 18 to 32 would have been allowed to serve just one month in the military by paying roughly $63,000, or four months by paying around $47,000. The standard conscription term in Armenia is currently two years. The bill also sought to raise the conscription age limit from 27 to 32.

The proposal had already drawn heavy criticism last month from Armenia’s Human Rights Defender, Anahit Manasyan, who warned it could deepen social inequality and undermine the principle of equal treatment under the law. In a statement, Manasyan’s office said the bill would give wealthy citizens “preferential treatment,” while those who cannot afford the fee would still be obligated to serve full terms.

She also expressed concerns about morale and discipline in the military. “Will this not lead to resentment, internal conflict, and a weakening of discipline among soldiers?” the Ombudsperson’s statement asked, calling for a full human rights review and broader public consultation.

Immediately following her remarks, parliament’s defense committee cancelled a scheduled hearing on the bill, citing “urgent issues” surrounding the proposal as the reason for the abrupt postponement, although Sargsyan maintained the government remained committed to the reform and wanted it passed before the July conscription period.

The draft law had passed through the Cabinet with initial approval and received backing from Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, who later acknowledged, however, that the bill required both technical and substantive changes. 

Several countries, including Turkey, Greece, and Iran, have adopted systems that allow citizens to shorten or bypass military service through payment. Hayk Sargsyan argued that Armenia needs a similar mechanism to both modernize its military and reduce illegal draft evasion.

Also read: Armenian government approves pay-to-avoid-service bill, triggering public backlash