168 Hours: Teachers' Salaries Increased by 10%, Ministers' Salaries Doubled to 1.5 Million Dram

168 Hours newspaper reports that, as a result of an investigation by the electronic publication Hetq, it has been revealed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan secretly approved an increase in the salaries of ministers and deputy ministers. According to information, the salaries of ministers have doubled, reaching 1.5 million dram, while the salaries of deputy ministers have increased from 562,160 dram to 1,060,000 dram. The salary of the chief secretary of ministries has risen from 595,260 dram to 870,000 dram.

The media outlet formally inquired of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan regarding the secrecy of the process. Acting head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Prime Minister's Office, Armen Khachatryan, responded to Hetq, stating, "The issue you raised was, as you mentioned, carried out through a secret procedure, and thus such information is not subject to publication. It is essential to note that the officials mentioned by you submit asset, income, and interest declarations, which implies that the aforementioned process is fully public and transparent."

However, the additional costs to the state budget resulting from this decision have not been disclosed, nor has the decision to increase the officials' salaries been published. The issue at hand is not the increase in the salaries of ministers and deputy ministers—which could even be regarded as commendable from the perspective of enhancing the efficiency of public administration and combating corruption—but rather the secrecy with which the government operates.

This government, led by a leader who often cites the popular nature of his power, the authority of the people, operates in secret. The secrecy of Pashinyan's decision is perhaps tied to another flaw the current administration suffers from—populism. Nikol Pashinyan demonstrates a lack of courage to make unpopular decisions, and he is so dependent on public opinion that he resorts to such violations to maintain his approval rating.

The fact is that the salary of public officials is determined by law, and any changes should also be made through legal means. However, Nikol Pashinyan has kept this decision secret, fully aware that it would be received negatively by the public, especially when only 38,000 teachers had their salaries raised by just 10%, while ministers' salaries were doubled.

It should be noted that although the authorities constantly boast about the salary increase for teachers, according to specialists, the 10% raise will affect only the quality of life for about 10,000 to 15,000 teachers. An increase of 2,000 to 3,000 dram for a teacher earning 25,000 to 30,000 dram is hardly significant, particularly in light of the rising living costs in Armenia.

Moreover, the government's secrecy has increasingly become its main operating method over time—government residences are renovated by secret decision, other budget reallocations are made secretly, expensive cars are purchased without tenders announced, decisions are made, and events are organized using budget funds through companies affiliated with them, all while public money is increasingly spent in secret. This, of course, has nothing to do with democracy, transparency, or accountability, indicating that Pashinyan's administration is adopting characteristics typical of authoritarianism just a year and a half after the Velvet Revolution.

Details in today's issue of the newspaper.