ABSTRACT
Introduction In the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse, newly independent Armenia appeared to be on a path to Western-style democracy. For almost two decades the rhetoric of the country leaders has been that of “democratic transition”. However, by now it has become abundantly clear that the country’s new leadership had no intention of creating anything but a facade democracy. Instead, they used their newly acquired positions of influence to capture and consolidate control over both the state apparatus and the economy. Systemic corruption and clientelism, inherited from the Soviet period, were revitalized and used to maintain control over both the political and economic spheres. In the political sphere the control of the ruling elite manifests itself most visibly in the absence of a credible opposition and in repeating fraudulent elections that reinforce the status quo. In the economic sphere “crony capitalism” creates a playing field which is heavily tilted to benefit the politically connected few.
