Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sparked debate amongst his social media audience after shaving his beard for the first time since the 2018 Velvet Revolution.

On Thursday evening, Pashinyan shared a TikTok video revealing his new look without any captions or commentary explaining the transition.

The video went viral and, in less than a day, became the most viewed video on Pashinyan’s Facebook account with 2.5 million views as of Friday afternoon. 

His beard became a prominent fixture in his image, having grown it on his march to Yerevan from Gyumri in protest against the government in 2018. The march later evolved into a revolution leading to the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister.

[Read more: Power of the people: what made Armenia’s Velvet Revolution successful?]

Pashinyan’s beard persisted well into his political career, despite facial hair being uncommon amongst Armenian politicians.

Public opinion on Pashinyan’s fresh shave was divided, with some disapproving of his new look, and others complimenting him.

‘Bravo, Prime Minister, you look really rejuvenated, it suits you very well’, one user commented.

‘Now, should everyone in the team get shaved or will it be a choice at one's discretion?’  asked another, referring to how several officials in Pashinyan’s team also had beards.

Several opposition politicians and activists also grew beards following the revolution, among them Armen Ashotyan, the vice president of the formerly ruling Republican party.

On Thursday, Ashotyan took to Facebook to comment on Pashinyan’s new look. He reminded his followers of his promise to shave his own beard the day Pashinyan is dismissed as prime minister.

‘May I be the next [to shave]’, he wrote.

Ruben Melikyan, Nagorno-Karabakh’s former Human Rights Defender, said that Pashinyan shaved his beard ‘exactly six years, six months, and six days after seizing power’, in an allusion to the number of the beast, 666. 

‘P.S. I don’t know who gives them instructions, but the fact that this person is a big fan of symbolism is undeniable,’ wrote Melikyan.