The opposition in Armenia has officially challenged the vote and filed a petition to completely annul the results of the parliamentary election held on June 7, 2026, Reuters reported.
Disputes escalated today after the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced final results. They confirmed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will form a single-party government on his own after his party won nearly half of the votes.
The pro-Russian opposition alliance “Strong Armenia”, led by billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, filed a formal petition to annul the vote. The formation received 23.2% of the vote. The opposition claims that the election was compromised due to mass repressions. Karapetyan (who is under house arrest) said that more than 700 of their activists and candidates were detained by police before the vote.
The CEC has already declared the results of two polling stations invalid due to the presence of soldiers after the end of election day. This decision brought the percentage of another opposition party (“Prosperous Armenia“) below the 4% barrier, leaving it outside parliament, provoking angry accusations of official manipulation.
Pashinyan's “Civil Contract“ party won 49.8%. Thanks to the distribution of votes and the Armenian electoral system, he secured a majority for a one-party cabinet. However, observers report that he did not gather a qualified majority to hold a referendum on a new constitution.
International observers from the European Parliament (EP) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) confirmed that election day went smoothly, but condemned "unprecedented pressure and economic threats" from Moscow to change the vote.
US President Donald Trump has already officially congratulated Pashinyan on the "decisive victory", which further legitimizes the results in the eyes of the ruling party, while Russia counters that the West is interfering in the country's sovereign affairs.
Tensions in Yerevan are enormous, as these elections sealed Armenia's historic turn to the West and its separation from the Kremlin's orbit. However, society remains deeply divided over the peace treaty with Azerbaijan and the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, which keeps the risk of new street protests high.