Opposition MP accuses Pashinyan government of using business seizures against rivals

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government is using business seizures and property redistribution to weaken political opponents, Armenian opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan claimed on Thursday.

In a post on social media, Abrahamyan, a member of the Pativ Unem faction, accused the ruling Civil Contract party of targeting businesses as part of a broader political strategy against its rivals.

“In an effort to weaken political opponents, the leader of the ruling regime is moving toward the redistribution of property, or, more plainly, the seizure of businesses,” he wrote, referring to the nationalization of the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) and the Ararat Cement factory.

According to Abrahamyan, the publicly known cases represent only a small part of a wider pattern of ownership changes carried out through “threats and blackmail” in recent years.

He also criticized Armenia’s Western partners for remaining silent, arguing that such actions contradict the principles of private property protection upheld in their own countries.

Abrahamyan added that the situation could raise concerns among both domestic and foreign investors, particularly those considering large-scale investments in Armenia.