ArmInfo.. In Armenia, the war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh has triggered a domestic crisis that risks undoing the success of the 2018 Velvet Revolution, this is stated in the report of the Freedom House "Nations in Transit. Antidemocratic Turn''.
''The country's democracy score declined for the first time since the revolution, and developments to date this year, including tensions between the military and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, demonstrate that the situation could grow worse'', the report reads.
The organization's analysts note that reform movements are losing steam, and from this point of view, 2020 was not a good year, and in many countries where there was hope for change, much of the momentum seems to have drained away.
Armenia is ranked 33rd out of a possible 100, and is among the states with a semi-consolidated authoritarian regime. Moreover, according to the scale, 0 is a complete lack of democracy, and 100 is the best possible indicator. The report indicates an improvement in the electoral process rating from 3.00 to 3.25 thanks to a transparent and largely free and fair local elections, which took place without systematic interference from the ruling party.
Positive dynamics was also recorded in the corruption rating - it improved from 2.75 to 3.00 due to prosecutions in cases of corruption at a high level, the creation of a commission to prevent corruption and the commitment of the current authorities to create an independent anti-corruption body in 2021. At the same time, the media independence rating is 3.0 and it is indicated that the media landscape in Armenia is highly polarized between pro-government and anti-government media, and there is little room for maneuvering. Neighboring Georgia ranks 36th, and Azerbaijan - 1st.