Pashinyan says he received his driver’s license without taking the exam

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan admitted on Thursday that he received his driver’s license without taking an official exam, speaking at a government meeting.

“Of course, I didn’t pay a bribe. At the time I got my license, I was already a well-known journalist,” Pashinyan said.

He added that back then, even if he had “begged on his knees,” he would not have been allowed to take the test through official channels.

“I hadn’t even walked 300 meters to the examination office before someone handed me the license and told me: ‘Get out of here quickly,’” the prime minister recalled.

Pashinyan shared the anecdote while addressing the broader issue of a lack of qualified personnel in various sectors of Armenia’s economy, noting that many drivers obtained their licenses by paying for them.

N.Tebrizli