Pre-New Year bonus for Armenia’s 107 MPs — nearly $5,000 each
Bonuses for Armenia’s MPs
Armenia is actively debating the payment of pre-New Year bonuses to members of the National Assembly. Each MP received 3 million drams ($7,894), triggering a public outcry.
It later emerged that 1.2 million drams ($3,157) of that sum covered salaries for January and December. This means MPs received 1.8 million drams ($4,736) in bonuses.
End-of-year bonuses for civil servants are common in Armenia and have long formed part of an established tradition. This year, the government also allocated billions of drams for bonuses for Defence Ministry staff and all members of the armed forces. They received payments equal to one month’s salary.
The bonuses paid to National Assembly deputies shocked many Armenians. The sum exceeded their monthly salary by three times.
Opposition MPs disclosed the payments. The authorities have not yet released official information on the total amount paid to all deputies.
Below is everything known at the time of publication, along with expert commentary and the views of Armenian residents.
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‘Bonuses address the problem of low salaries‘
In response to public anger over the bonuses paid to MPs, the National Assembly said state budget revenues have increased by 130% compared with 2017. Officials also pointed to a pilot government programme that provides financial incentives for civil servants. The scheme offers additional payments every six months. The National Assembly does not take part in this programme.
“Given that parliament is a representative body and is not included in the above-mentioned programme, a decision was taken to allocate additional monthly payments to the National Assembly for the first half of 2025,” the statement said.
The additional payments went not only to MPs but also to all employees of the legislature.
“These bonuses address the problem of low salaries in the National Assembly.”
Expert’s commentary
Media outlets asked parliament how much money authorities allocated in total for the bonuses and how officials calculated them — at the level of monthly salaries, above it, or below it. Parliament refused to provide the information, citing the need to protect employees’ personal data.
Personal data protection expert Shushan Doydoyan said the public has the right to know how fairly and purposefully the authorities spend taxpayers’ money.
“The National Assembly, as a legislative body, must remain open and accountable to taxpayers,” she said.
Doydoyan said she does not find the argument about personal data protection convincing as a reason to withhold information about the payments.
She recalled a similar case in 2019 involving bonuses paid by Yerevan City Hall. The public obtained the information only after the Personal Data Protection Agency, which operates under the Justice Ministry, intervened.
“The agency issued a well-founded decision confirming that publishing the list of employees awarded by the mayor, along with the amount each received, does not violate the Law on Personal Data Protection,” Shushan Doydoyan said.
Views from Armenia’s residents
In Armenia’s social media space, many users have posted angry reactions to the bonuses paid to MPs. Most argue that if extra funds have appeared in the state budget, the government should direct them towards social problems and support for vulnerable groups:
“When will at least 10% of your bonuses go to doctors, workers or pensioners? Or do only MPs need money? Let me remind you that a doctor’s salary is 75,000 drams [$197].”
“For what achievements do they reward people who ended up in parliament by chance and do nothing, except play games on their phones during sessions? Their bonus equals what people who work from morning till night earn in 12 months.”
“What do they receive such astronomical salaries for? For turning parliament into a circus all year round?”
“Bonuses for freeloaders at the expense of pensioners? Tomorrow you will beg those same pensioners for their votes. And that day is not far off.”
“The former [authorities], the current ones — all of you spend the day bickering live on air. And you get paid this much for it. I am not even mentioning your ignorance, which becomes obvious during your speeches from the parliamentary rostrum.”
“Give teachers bonuses like these, so they can educate children and raise smart and worthy MPs.”
Bonuses for Armenia’s MPs
