Pashinyan Discusses Pension Indexing

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has elaborated on the provisions of the electoral program of the "Civil Contract" party regarding social reforms set for 2026-2031.

On April 22, Prime Minister Pashinyan continued to inform the public about the electoral program of his party. On his social media page, he presented the measures planned for 2026-2031 that will be implemented if a parliamentary majority and government are formed.

A key point of the program is the indexing of pensions, aimed at ensuring that the average actual pension does not fall below the minimum consumption basket. "Fortunately, our average pension currently exceeds the consumption basket, and this is a historic breakthrough in the field of social security in Armenia. Previously, we aligned the minimum pension with the minimum food basket, meaning that retirees had to provide for their essential caloric needs for one month. Now, a few years later, including the pension repayment system, we are raising the average pension sometimes by 10% above the minimum consumption basket. Starting from 2028, we will index pensions such that no pension will be below the minimum consumption basket in Armenia," emphasized the Prime Minister.

Pashinyan also commented on his previous statement regarding retirees being able to buy a ticket to Larnaca with an additional 10,000 dram pension supplement. He clarified that this is feasible due to the implementation of health insurance, which allows retirees to save money that would otherwise be spent on medication, averaging around 30,000 dram.