Samvel Alexanyan who has the monopoly on the production and import of sugar and Mihran Poghosyan who has the monopoly on banana imports, have used their political leverage to acquire these monopolies and have used their accumulated wealth to bribe voters into electing them to parliament on the Republican ballot during the April 2 elections. In doing so, they have not only ensured their monopolies but have helped the Republican Party of Armenia reinstate its political monopoly. The monopolization of the political arena blocks the possibilities of economic development and directs power to the hands of a select few. This, in turn, blocks the possibility of a peaceful regime change.

Monopolies also have a negative effect on the potential of foreign direct investments in Armenia’s economy. Since 2008, the current government has adopted a model of governance which attempts to control all financial resources; no economic resource is to be left out of supervision. This is the reason why the government, instead of giving state employees a raise, decided to offer social (benefit) packages. This way, the government will still be in change of the financial means. If people had additional income, they could utilize the funds as they wished, instead, the government decided to direct these funds to areas under its control.

The reform of the pension system is a similar attempt. By raising the tax by 5 percent, the government tries to supervise the financial means of its citizens because it feels threatened by unsupervised resources. In fact, by holding on to those financial resources, the government limits the rights of citizens to freely manage their own funds.

Therefore, it is key for the government to make sure that no steps are taken outside the parameters of its will. The attempt to establish absolute control over the financial sector has resulted in the government obstructing investments; this is the reason behind the creation of an unfavorable investment environment in Armenia. As a result, investments in Armenia are rapidly subsiding. In 2011, foreign direct investments in Armenia amounted to $816 million, in 2012 it was $751 million, $597 million dollars in 2013, $167 million in 2014, and $118 million in 2015. The reasons behind the decline of foreign investment in Armenia are the institutions tasked to govern Armenia's financial resources. These oppressive institutions hinder investment and curtail financial development, which in turn challenges Armenia’s security.