Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan early Monday claimed victory in a general election seen as a test of Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus state, as preliminary results showed his governing Civil Contract party came first with 49.81% of the vote.
Pashinyan and the governing Civil Contract party were looking for a strong mandate for a new geopolitical course for Armenia, including distancing the former Soviet republic from Moscow, seeking to join the European Union and deepening cooperation with the West.
Casting his vote on Sunday, Pashinyan said that the country would continue strengthening its independence, statehood, democracy and rule of law.
“The European Union is our main partner in democratic reform implementation, and we will continue that path,” he said.
Pashinyan’s main opponent, Samvel Karapetyan, is a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and is under house arrest for allegedly advocating for the government’s overthrow. Karapetyan, whose Strong Armenia bloc was the runner-up with 23.29% of the vote, has rejected the charge as politically motivated.
Richard Giragosian, who heads the independent Regional Studies Center think tank in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, described the vote as a “pivotal election” that “stands as a referendum on the future of the country.”
“This election provides a fresh mandate on sustaining the positive momentum of diplomatic engagement, normalization of relations with neighbors, and the continued diversification of Armenia’s security partners,” Giragosian told AP on Monday.
Russian officials have hit Armenian exports with a barrage of restrictions in recent weeks. President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have made thinly veiled threats comparing Armenia’s path to that already taken by Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia.
Meanwhile, Armenian investigators said that they issued six arrest warrants for members of Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party the day before the election, accusing them of buying votes. The nation’s Central Election Committee confirmed Saturday that the party could run after a member of another opposition party, Republic, appealed for Strong Armenia to be barred over corruption allegations.
Karapetyan was escorted to a polling station on Sunday, and briefly spoke to the media before returning home.
“The Armenian people will make the right choice and Armenia will finally have a legitimate government,” he said.
Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party seeks to develop close business ties with Russia and has accused Pashinyan of attempting to start a war with the Kremlin.
According to Armenia’s Central Election Commission, four parties polled above the 4% electoral threshold and will enter parliament following Sunday’s election, including some that are vocally pro-Russia.
Two other parties, Armenia and Blossoming Armenia, also made it into parliament with 9.94% and 4% of votes, respectively. According to the election commission, turnout stood at 59.97%.
Before the results came in, Pashinyan spoke to journalists at his headquarters, claiming his party won the elections with a record result and would form the government on its own.
Preliminary results from the election commission bore this out, suggesting the governing party has won 61 seats in Armenia’s 105-member National Assembly — or 58.1% of all mandates.
“This is enough to form a government without coalition partners, elect a prime minister, adopt the government program and state budget, as well as adopt most of the laws and parliamentary decisions independently,” said Giragosian, the analyst. At the same time, he added, the result would not give Pashinyan the parliamentary majority needed to secure constitutional amendments without a referendum.
Top EU officials congratulated Pashinyan following the tightly contested race, seen in Europe as a litmus test of Russia’s influence.
“The spirit of the Velvet Revolution you led in 2018 is alive and well,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday in a social media post, referring to the mass protests sparked by Pashinyan’s activism that unseated Armenia’s former Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan.
“We deeply value our partnership with a democratic Armenia that is drawing ever closer to Europe. Armenia can count on us,” von der Leyen added.
European Council President António Costa also congratulated Pashinyan. In a post on X, Costa talked about a greater role for the EU in Armenia and the broader South Caucasus region, which bridges Europe’s hungry energy markets and Central Asia’s gas fields.
“Together, the EU and Armenia are building stronger links between people and creating new opportunities in energy, trade, and digitalization. Our strong partnership is an investment in a more peaceful and prosperous future for the region as a whole,” he said.
