Armenians vote in pivotal election defining ties with Russia and Europe

Armenians headed to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary election widely viewed as a critical test of the government's push to secure a peace deal with rival Azerbaijan and loosen ties with Moscow.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his ruling Civil Contract party are seeking a strong new mandate to continue redirecting foreign policy toward Europe and away from former overlord Russia. The opposition includes several parties with openly pro-Moscow stances.

After voting on June 7, Pashinyan declared that Armenia would continue strengthening its independence, statehood, democracy and rule of law. “The European Union is our main partner in implementing democratic reforms and we will continue that path,” he said.

He also stressed there were no tensions between Armenia and Moscow. “Our relations with Russia are institutional and based on mutual respect,” he was quoted as saying by the Armenpress news agency.

Since taking power in 2018, Pashinyan has brought Armenia closer to the West and distanced it from Russia, angering Moscow. In recent weeks, Russian officials imposed export restrictions on Armenian goods, while top officials including President Vladimir Putin issued stark warnings, comparing Armenia's trajectory to that of Ukraine.

A day before the vote, Armenian investigators said they had issued arrest warrants for six members of the Strong Armenia party for vote-buying. The Central Election Commission confirmed on June 6 that the party could still run, after a member of the opposition Republican party appealed for it to be banned over alleged corruption.

The National Assembly must have at least 101 members elected for a five-year term. Parties must win at least 4% of the vote to gain seats, while coalitions of three or more parties need 8%. Two political coalitions and 17 parties are contesting the election. Most pollsters and analysts predict Pashinyan's party will win.

Polling stations opened from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time (4 a.m. to 4 p.m. GMT).

Security and identity top concerns

Pashinyan has framed the vote as a choice between lasting peace with Azerbaijan or a return to war. His peace efforts are central to the campaign, including an August 2025 agreement signed at the White House with Azerbaijan, ending a conflict dating back to the late 1980s. The war ended in 2023 when Azerbaijani forces took control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, prompting most ethnic Armenians there to flee.

Pashinyan's supporters praise his stewardship, noting GDP per capita has doubled since he took office. “I really like the way Armenia is developing right before my eyes,” Karine Darbinyan, 39, told Reuters at a pro-Pashinyan rally in Yerevan's central square.

The 51-year-old prime minister has also sought to reduce Armenia's dependence on Moscow after Russia failed to help during the Karabakh conflict, and has said Armenia will pursue a balanced foreign policy after the election.

Maria Titizian, editor-in-chief of EVN Report, a Yerevan-based online news magazine, said the key issues for voters revolve around security and identity. “It's about how Armenia should ensure security in a deeply changed regional environment, what the relationship with Russia should be, especially after many foundational assumptions of the post-Soviet security architecture have been shaken, and whether to continue strengthening ties with Europe and the U.S., as well as what peace with Azerbaijan should look like,” Titizian told Al Jazeera.

She said the campaign has been marked by fear-mongering, with the ruling party warning that if the pro-Russian opposition wins, “there will definitely be war with Azerbaijan,” while the pro-Russian side says “cutting ties with Russia would have disastrous economic consequences for the country.”

Pro-Russian opposition

Pashinyan faces a wave of criticism from the opposition and segments of the public who accuse him of surrendering to Azerbaijan.

The Armenian opposition is dominated by the Strong Armenia party, founded last year by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. Karapetyan is under house arrest for plotting a coup and wants to keep Armenia close to Russia, a key energy supplier and buyer of Armenian exports.

At a Strong Armenia rally in Yerevan, a woman identified only as Gayane said she supports Karapetyan because he will ensure “our Armenia remains Armenia.” Gayane, whose roots are in Nagorno-Karabakh, said the current government “took that hope away from us. And Samvel Karapetyan gave us new hope that we can at least preserve Armenia and our traditions,” she told Reuters.

Pashinyan's democratic record is also an issue in the election. Eight years after coming to power on a promise to dismantle Armenia's political oligarchy, he faces growing allegations of democratic backsliding. The government largely defends law enforcement actions against those it says are trying to incite a coup.