A peculiar and highly controversial proposal has emerged from the insurgent “Strong Armenia” party, as the nation prepares for a pivotal general election this summer. Sargis Karapetyan, a founding member of the party, has suggested the establishment of a “Ministry of Sex”, an institution purportedly designed to ensure there are “no unsatisfied women” in the country and to address Armenia’s dwindling birth rate.
The proposal, which has been met with a mixture of disbelief and condemnation, reportedly stems from claims made by Armenian sociologist Armen Khachikyan. During a recent appearance on the Triangle podcast, Mr Khachikyan posited that the recent surge in political activism among middle-aged women was a direct consequence of sexual dissatisfaction.
When questioned on the programme about whether a formal government department should be created to address this perceived issue, Mr Karapetyan agreed, suggesting that such a ministry would be pivotal for the nation’s demographic health. “Can we now actually say that in a strong Armenia there will be no unsatisfied women?” he remarked.
The remarks have ignited a firestorm of criticism across the political spectrum. Sona Ghazaryan, a Member of Parliament for the ruling Civil Contract party, took to social media to denounce the comments as “pure sexism.”
“Stripping women of their agency, reducing them to the level of male fantasies and crude promises—it is disgusting,” Ms Ghazaryan wrote, asserting that Armenia would not return to the patriarchal structures of the past.
Prominent feminist influencer Lucy Kocharyan echoed these sentiments, advising the party not to “wrap your pre-election campaign’s sexual lust around the women of Armenia.”
In response to the outcry, Mr Karapetyan claimed his words had been “taken out of context.” He accused the current administration of “destroying” the population from within and questioned whether the government was “upset by my wording, or by the fact that I am speaking openly about the problems?”
The “Strong Armenia” party was formed in the wake of the arrest of Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire and father of Sargis. The elder Karapetyan, valued at $4.4 billion, was detained last summer on charges of public incitement to seize power illegally, alongside allegations of tax evasion and money laundering, all of which he denies.
Despite the controversy, the party is currently polling in second place with 13 per cent of the vote, trailing the ruling Civil Contract party, which sits at 17 per cent. With nearly half of the electorate remains undecided, the political climate is increasingly volatile.
Sargis Karapetyan has used the platform to attack the judiciary under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, claiming there is “no longer a true justice system” for those who oppose the regime. “There is almost no one significant person left in the political field in Armenia who hasn’t been imprisoned at least once by the current regime,” he told The New York Post.
The political drama unfolds as Prime Minister Pashinyan continues his efforts to pivot Armenia away from the Kremlin’s orbit in favour of closer ties with the West.
Amidst the high-stakes diplomacy and scandalous campaign rhetoric, the Prime Minister has found time for more creative pursuits. Last Friday, Mr Pashinyan made his musical debut, playing the drums at a sold-out concert in Yerevan with his band, a stark contrast to the grim accusations and eccentric proposals currently dominating the Armenian headlines.
