By Arshaluys Barseghyan

The Armenian government has approved the allocation of almost $14 million in bonuses for state officials for the first half of 2026 under its performance-based evaluation system. The decision, made on Thursday, marks the latest round of performance-based bonuses, which comes amid continued criticism over the government’s lack of transparency in disclosing evaluation results and individual payouts.

According to the government’s rationale, the programme aims to improve the efficiency of the public administration system while supporting the academic and professional development of employees receiving the incentives. Officials are reportedly required to spend 10% of the bonus on professional development.

The system was introduced in 2025 and has since resulted in ministers and other senior officials receiving bonuses worth several thousand dollars each.

The exact amounts paid to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, cabinet members, governors, MPs, and other senior officials typically become known only through annual asset declarations or occasional comments during press briefings, where officials often decline to provide specific figures.

The issue first drew widespread public attention in December 2025, when opposition MPs revealed they had received more than $7,800 each, covering their December and January salaries, as well as double holiday bonuses.

The payouts sparked public criticism, with opponents arguing that the government was awarding generous bonuses to officials while pensions remained low and poverty persists.

Kristine Vardanyan, an opposition MP from the Armenia Alliance faction, described the payment as unprecedented during her time in parliament.

In total, the government allocated $9.5 million for bonuses covering the first half of 2025.

According to media reports at the time, the package included bonuses of over $32,000 for Pashinyan and between $16,000–$19,000 for some of his cabinet ministers.

Despite the widespread criticism, the second round of bonuses was approved in March, ahead of Armenia’s June parliamentary elections, when the government approved $12 million in additional performance bonuses for the second half of 2025.

The payments, which were made from the state reserve fund shortly before the elections, drew sharp criticism from opposition figures and watchdog organizations, some of which described them as a form of ‘political corruption’.