Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP; hy, Բարգավաճ Հայաստան կուսակցություն, Bargavatch Hayastan kusaktsut’yun, abbreviated as ԲՀԿ BHK), is a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

. It was founded by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan on 30 April 2004, when the constituent congress of the party took place. Ideologically, the party is positioned as

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and ...

on the political spectrum, it advocates

economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic libera ...

, closer ties with Russia, and regarding the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

it is

eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek refor ...

, while on social issues they are traditionalist. Armenia's second president Robert Kocharyan was instrumental in creation of the party (some claiming Kocharyan himself established it). Kocharyan's influence and role in the party is a subject of debate. In 2012 "most analysts" believed Kocharyan was "closely involved in the party." Some "believe that Kocharyan is the secret leader of the party", while others believe he has no influence over PAP.

Ideology

The party maintains a Pro-Russian ideology and is the only outspokenly

Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek refor ...

party in Armenia. The party advocates for the preservation of national and traditional values, families, and church and state relations as the most important priorities. The party also claims to support building stronger democratic and neighborly relations within the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...

region and with

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistri ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

. Despite being a pro-Russian and eurosceptic party, Prosperous Armenia does believe in maintaining strong relations and economic partnership with the

Power base

According to sociologist Karen Sargsyan, the party base largely consists of provincial rural population.

Kotayk Province Kotayk ( hy, Կոտայք, ), is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located at the central part of the country. Its capital is Hrazdan and the largest city is Abovyan. It is named after the Kotayk canton of the historic Ayrarat province ...

is widely considered its stronghold. During the 2012 parliamentary election, Prosperous Armenia came first and won around 47.5% of the vote in that province, well above the national average of 30%. While in the 28th electoral district, which includes the city of

Abovyan Abovyan or Abovian ( hy, Աբովյան), is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia within the Kotayk Province. It is located northeast of Yerevan and southeast of the province centre Hrazdan. As of the 2011 census, the population of ...

and several surrounding villages, the party won over 71%.

Electoral record

The party debuted in the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections, winning 25 seats and 15.1% of the votes, making it the second largest political party in parliament. In the 2012 Armenian parliamentary elections, it more than doubled its share of the vote to 30.12%, winning 35 seats and solidifying its position as the main opposition party. In the

2017 Armenian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Armenia on 2 April 2017. They were the first elections after a constitutional referendum in 2015 that approved reforms for the country to become a parliamentary republic. The result was a victory for the ruli ...

, the party participated as part of the

Tsarukyan Alliance Tsarukyan Alliance ( hy, «Ծառուկյան» դաշինք; ''Tsarukyan Dashink'') was a liberal political alliance of three political parties in Armenia: Prosperous Armenia, Alliance Party and Mission Party. It was formed on 18 January 2017, ...

. The alliance won 31 seats. Following the 2018 Armenian parliamentary election, Prosperous Armenia lost five seats but was still the second largest party in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

and one of the two official opposition parties, the other being

Bright Armenia Bright Armenia ( hy, Լուսավոր Հայաստան, translit=Lusavor Hayastan) is a classical liberal political party in Armenia founded on 12 December 2015. History In 2017, Bright Armenia launched an educational program aimed at advancing ...

. In May 2021, the party confirmed it would participate in the 2021 Armenian parliamentary elections. Following the election, the party won just 3.95% of the popular vote, losing all political representation in the National Assembly. The party currently acts as an

extra-parliamentary An extra-parliamentary opposition is a political movement opposed to a ruling government or political party that chooses not to engage in elections. Many social movements could be categorized as an extra-parliamentary opposition. Europe The German ...

force.

2018 Armenian parliamentary election BHK

Parliamentary elections

Presidential elections

Local elections

Yerevan City Council elections

Activities

In 2014, Prosperous Armenia and the

Armenian Liberal Party Armenian Liberal Party ( hy, Հայաստանի լիբերալ կուսակցություն; ''Hayastani liberal kusakcut'yun'') is a liberal political party in Armenia. The leader of the party is Hovhannes Hovhannisyan. The party was founded i ...

signed a cooperation agreement. On 9 November 2020, the party signed a joint declaration with the other member parties of the

Homeland Salvation Movement The Homeland Salvation Movement ( hy, Հայրենիքի փրկության շարժում, translit=Hayrenik’i p’rkut’yan sharzhum) was an Armenian political alliance, consisting of several opposition political parties, led by Vazgen Manuk ...

calling on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign during the

2020–2021 Armenian protests The 2020−2021 Armenian protests (also known as the March of Dignity; hy, Արժանապատվության երթ, translit=Arzhanapatvut'yan yert') were a series of protests that began following the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement on 10 ...

References

{{Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe 2004 establishments in Armenia Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe member parties Conservative parties in Armenia Political parties established in 2004 Political parties in Armenia Social conservative parties Eurosceptic parties in Armenia