Parliamentary elections were held in Armenia, the main intrigue of which was whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has led the government since 2018 and is trying to gradually turn his country towards the West, will be able to keep his post and what influence the main opposition parties, which talk about preserving Armenia's ties with Russia and its controlled integration projects such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), will have.
Pashinyan arrived at his polling station early yesterday morning. He told reporters that he has “very close relations” with Vladimir Putin, but stressed that the EU is Armenia's main partner and the country will continue reforms in accordance with European standards.
“We must have good relations with everyone: America, the European Union and Russia. These are the countries that should help Armenia develop. We cannot say that we will have good relations only with Russia or only with America“, in turn, said his competitor from the "Strong Armenia" bloc Samvel Karapetyan upon arrival at his polling station, where he accused the authorities of political pressure. Similar statements were made by the country's former president Robert Kocharyan upon leaving his polling station.
The elections ended as planned at 8:00 p.m. local time and were determined by international monitoring organizations as fair and transparent, although they made some recommendations related to the financing of political forces. Voter turnout was 59% - 10 percent more than five years ago.
After the elections, the vote count began, and with the first results coming out, Pashinyan announced a convincing victory in the elections during a press conference held that night.
“We will continue our rapprochement with the West, but we will also continue our participation and membership in the EAEU. We will develop our relations with Russia and with the other EAEU countries. Of course, we will contribute to strengthening ties within the union“, the prime minister said, and then turned his criticism to the opposition.
“The leaders of these forces must be held criminally liable in accordance with the procedures established by Armenian legislation for the cases that you know about. These are not political forces, but representatives of the criminal oligarchic system. They should not operate in Armenia,” Pashinyan said. The leader of the “Civil Contract”, as at his last closing rally on June 5, called the “three-headed war party” the main opposition forces.
Later at a session in parliament, Pashinyan reiterated that the “three-headed war party” had lost the elections in Armenia.
“This is an important, but not final result, because I believe that the people clearly expressed their will for the three-headed war party and the criminal oligarchic system accompanying it to be abolished in Armenia,” Pashinyan said. He called this issue “one of the most important goals of the political majority and the government“, which must be implemented immediately and with “very decisive steps“.
Pashinyan's decision to declare his victory so soon after the closing of the polling stations was criticized by the opposition, which described it as pressure on the CEC and “usurping power”. Despite the dissatisfaction with the defeat, no protest actions have been announced by the opposition forces so far.
Meanwhile, the CEC announced the final results. Pashinyan's “Civil Contract“ received 49.83% of the votes. Subsequently, the party will have a majority in the legislative body and the opportunity to independently form a government. “Strong Armenia” also entered the parliament of Samvel Karapetyan (23.28%) and the “Armenia“ bloc, led by former President Robert Kocharyan (9.93%).
Until the last moment, the intrigue remained whether the "Prosperous Armenia" party would manage to overcome the four percent threshold for entering the legislative body. In the end, it did not reach thousandths of a percent, as the political force announced that it would appeal within the framework of the law.
After the announcement of the results, congratulations for the winner followed from abroad.
"We deeply value our cooperation with democratic Armenia, the country is increasingly moving closer to Europe. We stand with Armenia", said the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. "Armenia has chosen its future in Europe despite Russian pressure", said in turn the EU High Representative Kaia Kallas. French President Emmanuel Macron also sent words of support.
“I congratulate Armenia on holding democratic and free elections, and Nikol Pashinyan on his victory. This is a victory for the sovereignty of Armenia, for your independence and for your right to live as you choose. We wish you success“, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in “Ex”.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that the elections were held against the backdrop of unprecedented pressure on the opposition and interference from the West. She also noted that support for Pashinyan's party had “significantly decreased“ compared to the previous election cycle.
Armenian voters decided to turn a page on their turbulent political past, giving current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan a strong mandate for a balanced, pro-Western course. Armenia and Russia remain formally allies, but the vote results also show Russia's waning influence in a region long considered its bastion despite reports of threats and allegations of interference from Moscow, Euronews notes.
Russian political scientist Artur Ataev told the Russian newspaper Izvestia that the election result was predictable, noting that most analysts believed that the Civil Contract party would retain its leadership. After these elections, the deterioration of relations between Russia and Armenia will continue.
Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturian summed up.
"With yesterday's parliamentary elections, Armenia is entering a new stage of its political development," he said.