- Key opposition parties resist pro-European stance pursued by Yerevan, seek closer ties with Armenia, Russia
- Vote expected to be crucial for foreign policy, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government reaffirming commitment to deepening ties with EU, which has contributed to growing pressure between Yerevan, Moscow
Armenia is set to hold a key parliamentary vote Sunday that will determine the future of the nation’s policy abroad, which has notably sought deeper ties with Europe under the incumbent government.
Nearly 2.5 million registered Armenians will head to the polls to elect the 101-seat National Assembly, where the Civil Contract, the ruling political party since a snap parliamentary vote in 2018, holds 69 seats.
Voting on June 7 will commence at 8 am local time (0400GMT) and will end at 8 pm at more than 2,000 polling stations across the country.
International observers will take part in the vote, including missions from organizations such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Sixteen political parties and two political alliances have registered to take part in the election, including the Civil Contract, which is led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Key opposition to the Civil Contract in the election includes the Armenia Alliance, a political alliance led by former President Robert Kocharyan, and Strong Armenia, a newly founded party led by billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who is under house arrest on charges of inciting a coup.
Those opposition parties stand out with their resistance to the pro-European stance pursued by Yerevan and seek closer ties between Armenia and Russia.
The parliamentary vote is the country’s first regular election since snap elections in 2018 and 2021.
It is also the first election to take place in Armenia since Baku established full sovereignty in Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, after separatist forces in the region surrendered in September 2023.
– EAEU or EU?
The vote is expected to be crucial in terms of Armenia’s foreign policy, with Pashinyan’s government reaffirming its commitment to deepening ties with the EU, which has contributed to growing pressure between Yerevan and Moscow ahead of the vote.
Yerevan has intensified engagement with the EU in recent months and has adopted legislation launching a process aimed at eventual EU accession early last year.
In response, Russia said Moscow was not opposed to Armenia developing relations with the EU, but warned that the course could jeopardize membership in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and result in the loss of economic benefits.
Diplomatic tensions between Armenia and Russia have increased in the meantime, notably as Yerevan hosted a summit of the European Political Community in early May, attended by European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
During the summit, Zelenskyy threatened strikes against Russia during Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, prompting Russia to summon Armenia’s ambassador for what it described as providing a platform for “absolutely anti-Russian statements.”
Responding to the criticism, Pashinyan noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Baku during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which he said did not raise concerns in Yerevan.
Later in May, Eurasian leaders, including Putin, urged Armenia to hold a referendum on choosing between the EU and the EAEU, following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.
Pashinyan responded that Armenia would continue working within the Russian-led economic union until a choice between the EAEU and the EU became “unavoidable.”
Ties with Türkiye, Azerbaijan
The election in Armenia is also expected to be key for the country’s policy vis-a-vis Ankara and Baku, with the Civil Contract having championed regional integration, peace with Azerbaijan and the normalization of ties with neighboring Türkiye.
Yerevan and Baku signed a declaration last August at a trilateral summit at the White House, alongside US President Donald Trump, to end decades of conflict, with commitments to cease hostilities, reopen transport routes and normalize relations.
The two countries have since taken numerous steps to bolster ties, including the lifting of economic blockades related to cargo deliveries and transit, and have conducted high-level talks at various levels in commitment to the peace deal.
The developments have also reflected positively in Yerevan’s normalization with Ankara, which was among the first countries to recognize Armenia’s independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ankara, however, closed its border with Armenia and suspended diplomatic relations during the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s, and relations began to improve after the Second Karabakh War in the fall of 2020.
In 2021, Ankara and Yerevan appointed special envoys to lead a normalization process and have since held multiple rounds of talks.
Earlier this week, Pashinyan said he is confident Yerevan will achieve its goal of normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye, arguing that establishing relations with Türkiye and securing a lasting peace agreement with Azerbaijan will create new opportunities for Armenia to become a “state of a new quality.”
He added that the absence of relations with Ankara reflects an imbalance in foreign policy and stressed the need for Yerevan to maintain ties with all countries.