Listen to this article
Average 4 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party won an election seen as a test of its handling of the peace deal with Azerbaijan and its pro-Western approach, despite what international election observers called apparent interference and pressure from Russia.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party won 49.8% of the vote with all polling stations counted as of Sunday’s vote, enough to secure a parliamentary majority under Armenia’s electoral system, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said Monday.
The results, based on a strong turnout of around 59 percent, also showed better-than-expected figures for the two pro-Russian opposition parties, which won a combined 31 votes and are set to enter parliament.
International election monitors said the run-up to the vote was marked by efforts by traditional sponsor Russia to influence the outcome.
“Russia has exerted unprecedented pressure, using public threats and trade measures, trying to drastically change the outcome of the election,” said Edita Estrella of the European Parliament Assembly of Observers.
“As members of the European Parliament, we strongly condemn this interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign country.”
Russia accused the West of meddling in the vote and joined the Armenian opposition in accusing the election of violations.
“There is a broad demand in Armenian society to improve Russia-Armenia relations,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Sunday’s vote was the first parliamentary election in Armenia since the 2023 war in which Azerbaijan retook Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region with an ethnic Armenian population.
Pashinyan’s victory will boost his efforts to alienate Armenia’s allies and businessmen away from Russia and more vis-à-vis the West. Central to that effort is securing a peace agreement with Azerbaijan and normalizing relations with Azerbaijan’s ally Turkey.
As Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh, a foreign policy adviser to the president of Azerbaijan tells CBC News that the country is contradicting what they are saying about the invasion. But since the region is closed, there has been no independent verification of the claims.
The opposition cried foul
Pashinyan hailed the “historic victory” and promised to continue building relations with the West and Russia, while other opposition parties mourned.
“The Armenian people voted for regional prosperity and cooperation and I hope this will get a positive response from Turkey and Azerbaijan,” he said.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Pashinyan and said that Armenia can count on the support of Europe, she said of X: “We greatly value our cooperation with a democratic Armenia that is getting closer to Europe.”
But Pashinyan has not received the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to call a constitutional referendum called for as part of the Azerbaijan peace deal and reopen the border and resume trade with Turkey.
Azerbaijan wants Armenia to amend its constitution to remove what it says is a clear claim to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Zaur Shiriyev, a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said it was unclear whether Azerbaijan would want to continue the peace process if Armenia failed to call a referendum on amending its constitution.
“I [Armenian] the government will face a very difficult domestic situation,” Shiriyev said. “Cooperation with the opposition parties on such a sensitive issue is almost impossible.”
Arrests before the elections were aimed at the opposition
Opposition coalitions Strong Armenia and Armenia Alliance won 23.2 percent and 9.9 percent of the vote respectively, the CEC said. A fourth party, Prosperous Armenia, failed to meet the 4 percent threshold to enter parliament.
Election observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe say the vote went well in many areas, but the persecution of opposition figures before the vote has affected the perception of some justice.
Pre-election arrests targeted opposition parties, including parliamentary candidates in Strong Armenia. The group’s founder, Samvel Karapetyan, who is under house arrest and has campaigned for closer ties with Moscow, said more than 700 people associated with the group have been arrested.
The Armenia Alliance, led by former Russian vice president Robert Kocharyan, said Pashinyan’s initial victory claim included “pressure on the CEC and usurpation of power,” Russian news agency Interfax reported.
