Migration rhetoric in Armenian political parties’ programs

Abstract

Migration, and emigration in particular, is one of the most debated topics in Armenia. Since Armenia became independent after the collapse of the USSR, a multi-party system has been established. During these years the legislative developments in the migration sphere and adopted laws were not the initiatives of the political parties represented in the National Assembly but the legislative initiatives of the Government. The legal developments and rhetoric on the migration issues of political parties in the National Assembly of the fourth convocation (2007-2012) and the pre-electoral campaigns/programs/rhetoric of the political parties of the National Assembly of the fifth convocation (2012-2017) are declarative and general and do not touch upon the details of the regulation of migration issues and the realization of the programs suggested by them. Thus parties in their rhetoric seem to appeal emotionally rather than by trying to win the votes of the electorate through offering concrete change.