Parliamentary elections are being held in Armenia on Sunday, in which, according to the TASR news agency and the AP agency, the incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Civic Contract party are the favorites. Voting takes place against the backdrop of fierce domestic political competition and increased foreign interest in the direction of the country.
- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan enters the parliamentary elections in Armenia as a favorite.
- Six members of the Strong Armenia party face arrest warrants for vote buying.
- Seventeen parties and two electoral blocs are running for the Armenian elections.
- Pashinyan emphasizes a balanced foreign policy between the West, Russia and its neighbors.
- According to the leaked documents, Russia is organizing campaigns to weaken Pashinyan and the pro-Western trend.
AP pointed out that Armenian law enforcement authorities issued six arrest warrants for members of the opposition party Strong Armenia a day before the elections. They were accused of buying votes. The Central Electoral Commission subsequently confirmed that, despite the suspicions, the party can participate in the elections, although a representative of the opposition party Republika requested its exclusion due to electoral corruption.
Election rules
A total of 17 parties and two electoral blocs are competing for voters’ votes. To enter the National Assembly, which according to the constitution has at least 101 deputies, parties running independently must exceed the four percent threshold. Electoral blocs need to get eight to ten percent of the vote, depending on the number of participating parties.
The Central Election Commission plans to begin publishing the first provisional results late Sunday. Armenian media expect that the basic picture of the distribution of forces will become clearer during the night, when the data from the largest cities will be processed.
Supervision of elections
13 domestic and eight international observation missions were accredited to monitor the vote, added the AP agency. Thus, the electoral process takes place under relatively extensive supervision, which is supposed to strengthen confidence in its course.
After casting his vote, Pashinyan declared that the country will continue to strengthen independence, statehood, democracy and the principles of the rule of law. He identified the European Union as the main partner in the implementation of democratic reforms and announced the continuation of this line.
Relations with Moscow
At the same time, the prime minister emphasized that, according to him, there is no tension between Armenia and Russia. He described relations with Moscow as institutional and based on mutual respect, the Armenpress agency quoted him as saying. In recent weeks, however, Russian authorities have imposed a series of restrictions on the export of certain commodities from Armenia, and Russian political elites, including President Vladimir Putin, have sent indirect warnings to Yerevan, comparing Armenia’s pro-European orientation to developments in Ukraine.
Pashinyan has been talking about the need for a balanced foreign policy for a long time, including during the election campaign. According to him, it should enable maintaining good relations with the United States, Europe, Russia and regional powers such as Turkey and Iran.
West versus Russia
Despite this, he has significantly more support abroad in the West than in Moscow. He was supported by several European leaders and former US President Donald Trump. In domestic politics, however, he faces strong criticism from camps that advocate closer ties with Russia.
Most opposition entities prefer deepening relations with Moscow. The Strong Armenia party emphasizes the development of trade ties with Russia and accuses Pashinyan of leading to a conflict with Moscow with his policies. Its chairman, Samvel Karapetyan, is on trial for alleged calls to overthrow the government, which he denies and calls the investigation politically motivated. He managed the election campaign from house arrest through his nephew Narek Karapetyan, while on election day he was transported to the polling station by members of the security forces.
Strong opposition players
Former president Robert Kočarjan, who heads the Armenian Alliance bloc, is also among Pašinjan’s key rivals. He accuses Pashinyan of seriously disrupting relations with Russia. Another significant opposition is the Prosperous Armenia party led by pro-Russian businessman Gagik Carukyan.
These subjects also criticize the prime minister for his efforts to normalize relations with neighboring Azerbaijan. Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initialed a document leading to a peace agreement in the White House in August 2025 in the presence of Donald Trump.
Foreign influence
Prominent Western media pointed out shortly before the Armenian elections that Russia, focused on the war against Ukraine, currently does not have the capacity to quickly strengthen its presence in the South Caucasus. According to an article in Forbes magazine, the parliamentary elections in Armenia have therefore become the target of intense efforts for political influence.
The investigative network OCCRP (Project on Corruption and Organized Crime) and the website The Insider reported on campaigns aimed at influencing public opinion in Armenia, discrediting the government of Nikol Pashinyan and supporting forces pushing for closer ties with Russia. Attempts to mobilize the Armenian diaspora in Russia and work with voters with dual – Armenian and Russian – citizenship are also mentioned in the leaked documents.
Controversial videos
The published materials included links to video recordings of former International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo and his son Tomás. According to the authors of the articles, the Ocamps used their contacts and reputation to gain support against initiatives to bring Armenia closer to the EU. They were supposed to cooperate with the Armenian lobbying network in the US and draw financial support from Russian-Armenian businessmen in order to weaken confidence in Pashinyan.
The Eurasianet portal pointed to one of the recordings in which Tomás Ocampo allegedly says that the goal of his activity with his father is the overthrow of Pašinjan. In this regard, Forbes said that the purpose of such operations is to slow Armenia’s approach to the West, prevent the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and maintain Moscow’s influence on the key transport and energy routes of the South Caucasus.
