Civil Contract (, , ՔՊ/KP, often shortened to , ) is a centrist political party in Armenia.
History
Formation as an NGO
Civil Contract first came into the public consciousness on 23 January 2013, when opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan publicized a project to establish a new political process in the newspaper (The Armenian Times). For several months afterwards, the text of the contract was widely discussed in Armenian political forums. An updated version of the contract was published and Civil Contract was officially established as a non-governmental organization on 24 July 2013. Its governing board was formed on 9 December 2013.
Transformation into a political party
On 30 May 2015, Civil Contract was registered as a political party. Civil Contract participated in the 2017 Armenian parliamentary election and the 2017 Yerevan City Council election as part of the Way Out Alliance (). Following the 2018 Armenian Velvet Revolution led by Nikol Pashinyan, a new political alliance rose to prominence known as the My Step Alliance. After the 2018 Armenian parliamentary election, the My Step Alliance gained a ruling majority in the National Assembly. The My Step Alliance dissolved in May 2021 as Civil Contract opted to participate in the 2021 Armenian parliamentary elections independently. Following the election, Civil Contract was able to retain their ruling majority.
Ideology
The Civil Contract Party has no definite official ideology. Its leader, Nikol Pashinyan, states: "There are no clear lines between political ideologies anymore ... in the 21st century, those lines disappeared. It's not acceptable for me to call our party 'liberal,' 'centrist,' or 'social democrat,' because the goals we have to achieve are beyond '-isms. Despite this, Pashinyan himself has been described as a radical centrist, a reformist, or a liberal (and occasionally a populist) in favour of a liberal democracy by international media.
Objectives
The party announced their goal to double the population of Armenia within the next 20 years, ensure human rights and freedoms of all citizens, eliminate all forms of corruption, and to further strengthen and develop the economy, while protecting the environment.
Foreign policy
Prior to the 2018 election, Civil Contract was in favor of developing closer ties with the European Union and supported Armenia's inclusion in a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the EU. Party leader Nikol Pashinyan was skeptical of Armenia's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and complained that membership had brought no benefits to Armenia. However, following his electoral victory, Pashinyan changed his official position and announced his support of Armenia's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union. Civil Contract claims that Armenia should not make a choice between the East and the West. Instead, Armenia should become an example and mediator of dialogue and cooperation.
Civil Contract advocates for maintaining strong connections between Armenia and Russia while promoting Eurasian integration with other CIS and Eurasian Economic Union member states. At the same time, Civil Contract continues to support Armenia's European integration through developing closer ties with the European Union and to eliminate visa requirements for Armenian citizens traveling to the EU's Schengen Area. In October 2019, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan stated that he sees a lot of potential growth in both economic and political ties with the EU. Avinyan also advised that, "Any future EU accession is a question that the people of Armenia need to answer and would only occur following the withdrawal of Armenia from the Eurasian Union."
In 2019, the party's leader categorically ruled out the prospect of Armenia leaving the EAEU or the CSTO, stating that Armenia would not do a "u-turn" in foreign policy. A new party program was adopted, which stated the party's intention for Armenia to "not choose between East and West" and that the country's foreign relations ought to be based on protecting the nation's sovereignty.
The party supports the implementation of the Armenia–EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which entered into force on 1 March 2021. Nikol Pashinyan stated, "CEPA is a strategic program for development of our country, and it can become one of the cornerstones of our reforms agenda" and "I believe it is in Europe's interests to have a stable, democratic partner in the unstable region of the South Caucasus, a partner in the shape of developing and progressive Armenia that shares common European values with the union."