Maria Titizian

In this episode of It Has to Be Said, Maria Titizian examines how fear has become one of the dominant tools of Armenia’s parliamentary election campaign. From warnings of war and economic collapse to narratives about “Turkification” and a so-called “Ukraine scenario,” domestic and external actors are increasingly weaponizing public anxiety and collective trauma instead of debating policy and governance.

Armenia’s election campaign hasn’t officially started, but in practice, it already has. In this episode, Maria Titizian examines the legal gray zone before the formal campaign period, where political forces are already spending, organizing and shaping public perception, without clear limits or full transparency.

Since independence, every Armenian administration has amended the Constitution. Each reform has been presented as modernization, democratization, or necessity. But constitutional change in Armenia has often been just as much about political power as legal reform. In this episode, Maria Titizian looks at how Armenia’s Constitution has evolved since 1995, why it keeps changing, and why it is once again at the center of political debate ahead of the parliamentary elections.