The International Republican Institute’s (IRI) international election observation mission reported on Monday that it observed voting and counting processes that were generally calm and orderly, conducted in accordance with established procedures, and supported by a significant presence of party and citizen observers, contributing to civic oversight of the voting process.

IRI presented its findings and recommendations after observing the Armenian parliamentary elections. 

At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Central Election Commission (CEC), IRI deployed a 23-person international delegation representing seven countries (United States, Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine, Poland, Sweden) to observe the electoral process. The mission was led by Mr. Peter Roskam, Board Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy; Mr. Peter Egardt, Chairman of the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation; and Mr. Olin Wethington, Board Member of the International Republican Institute, in collaboration with Mr. Scott Mastic, IRI Vice President of Programs, and Mr. Stephen Nix, IRI Senior Director for Europe and Eurasia.

Mastic told reporters on Monday that they observed the electoral process in eight provinces and 17 communities, with observers visiting 107 polling stations on election day.

“We once again reaffirm IRI’s strong commitment. The presence of our delegation also reflects this commitment, as well as the aspiration for elections in Armenia to be conducted in accordance with the country’s legal framework,” Mastic said.

Peter Roskam, Board Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy and former U.S. House of Representatives member, congratulated the people of Armenia, noting that nearly one and a half million citizens participated in the June 7 parliamentary elections, demonstrating their commitment to democratic participation and their will to shape the country’s future through voting.

“Our mission did not observe systemic violations. In our assessment, the voting and vote counting were overall conducted in a credible manner. The process took place in a disciplined and peaceful atmosphere, following established procedures. Representatives of political parties, local observers, and international observers like us were widely present throughout the process. The elections were held in an environment with rising polarization, concerns about security challenges, and debates regarding Armenia’s geopolitical orientation,” Roskam said.

He noted that the mission issued 11 recommendations regarding the organization and conduct of elections, political financing, cybersecurity, and the media sector.

According to him, authorities should strengthen accountability and reinforce cooperation between customs services, financial regulatory bodies, anti-corruption agencies, law enforcement, and electoral bodies to prevent potential funding related to external actors.

“The CEC must carry out its supervisory functions more consistently in examining and resolving election-related disputes. State bodies, electoral institutions, technical experts, civil society, and international partners should continue strengthening cybersecurity resilience through constant monitoring, testing, public communication, and incident response mechanisms,” he said.

Roskam also stated that the CEC, the Anti-Corruption Committee, and other competent authorities should investigate allegations of pressure, intimidation, misuse of administrative resources, and selective law enforcement swiftly, consistently, and impartially.

“It should be noted that deeper integration of Armenia into Western democratic institutions will contribute to aligning electoral processes with international standards,” he said.

In conclusion, Roskam stated that, according to the observation mission, the elections were fair.

Stephen Nix, IRI Senior Director for Europe and Eurasia, noted that signs of external interference were evident during this electoral cycle.

“Despite this, Armenia was able to exercise its democratic rights and demonstrated that the country’s democratic trajectory is oriented toward the European direction,” he emphasized.

Nix noted that during the electoral cycle, parties and alliances conducted their campaigns freely, although personal attacks in political rhetoric exacerbated the lack of trust among political actors.

He also praised the work of the Central Electoral Commission, territorial, and precinct election commissions, highlighting their professional conduct and role in ensuring the legality of the elections.

In summary, Nix said that these were IRI’s preliminary assessments. He added that the organization’s long-term observers and the Yerevan office staff will continue to monitor possible court proceedings and protests, with a more comprehensive final report to follow.

Russia has commented on the parliamentary elections held in Armenia after PM Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party emerged as the winner with a majority of votes. 

TASS cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that Moscow is currently waiting for the final election results but is also taking note of all reports emerging around the elections.

“We are also taking note of reports regarding numerous violations that occurred during these elections,” Peskov said, according to TASS, despite international observers reporting fair and calm conduct. 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also reacted to the results.

Citing data from the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, Zakharova said the Civil Contract party has not obtained a “monopoly on power.”

Zakharova further suggested that the ruling party’s approval rating in Armenia has somewhat declined compared to the previous election cycle. “It is evident in Armenian society that there is strong demand for the continued development of Armenian-Russian relations and for Armenia’s further participation in Eurasian integration structures, which bring tangible benefits to the Armenian people,” she said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson described the multiple arrests of alleged vote-buying suspects in Armenia as “repression” of the opposition by the authorities.

At the same time, Zakharova stated, “Russia has always been and will remain interested in a strong and truly sovereign Armenia. The Armenian people are our brotherly people, and we wish them peace and prosperity.”

Commenting on Moscow’s approach toward Armenia, she added that Russia intends to shape its policy based on the actual steps taken by the Armenian leadership.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has expressed hope that Armenia and Azerbaijan will swiftly sign the initialed peace deal.

“We support the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the APA news agency quoted Fidan as saying at a press conference following his trilateral meeting with counterparts from Azerbaijan and Georgia in Istanbul.

Ankara hopes that “Azerbaijan and Armenia will sign a peace agreement without delay,” APA cited Fidan as saying.

According to the minister, “Azerbaijan’s legitimate concerns must be addressed.”

The foreign minister said that Türkiye will do everything possible to establish peace in the South Caucasus and that the will demonstrated by the parties has opened a concrete window of opportunity for the region.

Fidan noted that Türkiye continues its dialogue with Armenia in coordination with Azerbaijan.

He pointed out that significant progress has been achieved over the past four years within the framework of the Armenia–Türkiye normalization process.

Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed a peace treaty on August 8, 2025, during a U.S.-brokered peace summit in Washington, D.C.

YEREVAN, 8 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 8 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 368.53 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 4.25 drams to 424.73 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0169 drams to 5.0215 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 4.91 drams to 491.66 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 1563 drams to 51721 drams. Silver price down by 9.8 drams to 860.85 drams.

President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan issued a statement after the June 7 parliamentary elections, saying the country is entering a new chapter of political development.

Below is the President’s statement released by his office:

“Dear compatriots, with the parliamentary elections, Armenia is entering a new chapter of political development. These elections were another test of our democratic culture, state-building, public responsibility, and the maturity of state institutions.

The results formed through the free _expression_ of the will of citizens are the legal and moral foundation on which the legitimacy of state power rests.

I extend my deepest gratitude to all citizens of the Republic of Armenia who, through their participation, reaffirmed that democracy is an irreversible choice for our state.

I thank all individuals and bodies involved in organizing the electoral process, ensuring legality and transparency, as well as local and international observation missions and the mass media.

In a democratic system, elections are not the end of a political process but the beginning of a new and greater responsibility. Ideological and policy-based competition is the lifeblood of democracy, and after elections, the guiding principle for all of us must be one overriding goal—the national and state interest of the Republic of Armenia.

I congratulate the Civil Contract Party on receiving the trust of the citizens and a parliamentary majority. The election results are a public assessment of the activities carried out in the previous period, as well as a political mandate to implement the presented programs and ensure the country’s future development.

I congratulate the political forces that have gained the right to be represented in the National Assembly, whose mandates represent a delegation of responsibility to participate in the governance of the country.

The National Assembly is a platform for state-minded thinking, productive dialogue, and high political culture. The current challenges facing our state require strategic foresight and unity. I wish you tireless and effective work for the strengthening of the Republic of Armenia and the well-being of our people.”

The 7 June 2026 parliamentary elections offered voters a genuine choice among political alternatives in a well-run process, although direct pressure from abroad, in the form of escalating trade restrictions and security threats were observed during the campaign, aimed at unduly influencing voters in favor of the opposition, international observers representing the OSCE PA, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said in a preliminary statement released today.

The campaign was highly confrontational, with divisive rhetoric, and was marked by allegations of vote-buying and other electoral violations that led to numerous criminal proceedings against opposition candidates and activists, resulting in many opposition supporters refraining from actively engaging in the campaign. This, along with pressure on public sector employees to attend ruling party events, and recently introduced social and economic measures, raised concerns about the equality of opportunity to campaign, the statement says.

“The concentration of arrests and criminal prosecutions against opposition figures contributed to perceptions of selective justice, while a polarized media landscape, inflammatory rhetoric, misinformation, and persistent foreign pressure and interference challenged Armenia’s democratic resilience and the integrity of public debate,” said Farah Karimi, Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission. “This underscores the importance of continued efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, safeguard fundamental freedoms, and foster public trust in democratic processes.”

“The Armenian elections took place in a particularly tense geopolitical context, with direct foreign interference,” said Damien Cottier, Head of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. “In particular, pressure and threats from Russia authorities reached an unprecedented and worrying level.”

The process was governed by revised election-related laws and regulations that provide a sound basis for democratic elections. Changes in recent years were mostly introduced through an extensive consultative process and worked to improve the legal framework, but some gaps and ambiguities persist, and a number of previous ODIHR and Council of Europe Venice Commission recommendations remain unaddressed.

“The importance of these elections, combined with polarizing rhetoric throughout the campaign, created a tense atmosphere for both voters and election officials,” said Jevrosima Pejović, Head of the OSCE PA delegation. “Election bodies operated under heightened scrutiny, while voters were exposed to sustained political pressure and intense public debate. Tensions arising from domestic and external factors added to the pressure surrounding these elections and influenced public perception of the quality of electoral administration, highlighting the importance of promoting a constructive political climate and strengthening public confidence in electoral bodies.”

The election administration managed technical preparations professionally and efficiently, and enjoyed stakeholders’ trust. Election day proceedings were assessed overwhelmingly positively in the vast majority of polling stations observed.

“We met devoted polling station members, a large majority of whom were women, who performed their duties with dedication and attention. Some voters were lacking basic information about their polling stations and voting procedures, and the Armenian authorities should consider working on better voter information,” said Nathalie Loiseau, Head of the EP delegation. “The elections were generally peaceful and without incidents. The electoral process was calm and very well organised, procedures seemed meticulously observed, and small inconsistencies before counting were carefully verified.”

Online campaigning was extensive, and its regulation is limited, reducing transparency and oversight. The online campaign was confrontational and divisive. The ODIHR mission noted the use of manipulative, false and AI-generated content disseminated by some candidates, as well as inauthentic and third-party accounts to discredit opponents, the government and the electoral process. Overall, the authorities took steps to address disinformation, but the transparency and effectiveness of these efforts were limited by the lack of publicly available information. 

Amendments to campaign finance rules expanded the definition of campaign expenditures, increased donation and expenditure limits, and redistributed oversight responsibilities. Still, a number of gaps remain, limiting the transparency, accountability and integrity of party and campaign finance. 

Despite gender quotas for the election administration and parliament, as well as financial incentives for parties maintaining gender-balanced governing bodies, women’s participation in public and political life remained low. Women comprised 37.3 per cent of candidates. 

The media environment is pluralistic but polarized, and the ODIHR mission media monitoring found that most outlets were instrumentalized by contestants to amplify mutual insults and divisive campaign rhetoric, offering little substantive analysis of contestants’ platforms. Public television displayed clear bias in favour of the ruling party, contrary to its legal obligations and public mandate. At the same time, several private outlets portrayed the government negatively and provided favourable coverage to selected opposition contestants. All combined, this undermined voters’ opportunity to make an informed choice.

“Armenia’s voters were given – and took – the opportunity to make a genuine choice in a professionally managed election process and a vibrant and pluralistic, if often highly polarized campaign,” said Janez Lenarčič, head of the election observation mission from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. “Unfortunately, they had to make that choice against the backdrop of unprecedented foreign interference and pressure, in the form of punitive trade measures and day-by-day threats of further negative consequences contingent on which choice they made.”

This Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions is the result of a common endeavour involving the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament (EP). The assessment was made to determine whether the elections complied with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation.

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said at a press conference in Vienna on June 8 that the agency has never claimed that Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Grossi said: “We have never said that they are doing that. We did not say it when we had access to their facilities. And we cannot say it now.” 

Grossi noted that Tehran had not always provided complete answers to the agency’s questions in the past. He added that, because of military hostilities, the IAEA has been unable to access Iran’s nuclear facilities for nearly a year, with the exception of a recent inspection at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.

Grossi also said he expects the agency to have significant influence on negotiations between the United States and Iran.

“I think it is clear that the IAEA has a very important role to play,” he said.

He added that the United Nations is not currently involved in resolving ongoing global conflicts and argued that the situation should change.

“We live in a world where conflicts are multiplying, and it is very sad to see that the United Nations is not participating in the resolution of those conflicts. In my view, that should not be the case,” Grossi said.

Armenia national football team midfielder Narek Grigoryan has described Moldova as an evenly matched opponent ahead of the sides’ upcoming friendly match.

Grigoryan made the remarks during a pre-match press conference ahead of the Armenia-Moldova encounter.

“I can say that I am in good form. I am ready for the upcoming match against Moldova. The team has also prepared well. We know what we need to do on the pitch. We will do everything to make our fans happy,” the midfielder said.

According to Grigoryan, Moldova is a strong opponent, and the Armenian national team has already identified how to take advantage of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

 Armenia’s national football team will face Moldova on June 9. The match will be played at the Republican Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 19:00 local time.

Armenia national football team head coach Yeghishe Melikyan has compared upcoming friendly opponents Moldova to the Cyprus national team.

“We needed this kind of match schedule because the fixture calendar during the autumn qualifying campaign will be similar. These friendly matches are a test for us to understand how prepared we will be for the UEFA Nations League qualifying stage,” Melikyan told reporters.

According to the head coach, his players are approaching the upcoming friendly against Moldova with a positive mindset.

“You will see newcomers on the pitch against Moldova. I understand that we need a victory, but we also have long-term objectives, and for that we need to conduct experiments now. I need these matches to better understand my players. Moldova have a similar playing style to Cyprus and Latvia,” Melikyan said.

Armenia’s national football team will host Moldova on June 9. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. Yerevan time.

As part of a working visit to the Evros regional unit, Armenia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Greece, Tigran Mkrtchyan, held a meeting with Konstantinos Chatzikonstantinou, Chief Executive Officer of Alexandroupoli Port.

According to the Armenian Embassy in Greece, the port’s chief executive presented the strategic importance of Alexandroupoli Port as a key transport and logistics hub linking Greece, Bulgaria and Türkiye.

The discussions also touched upon the port’s railway infrastructure, its role in facilitating regional cargo transportation, and opportunities for cooperation along Black Sea and Mediterranean routes.

Ambassador Mkrtchyan presented the Armenian government’s Crossroads of Peace initiative and the TRIPP project, which forms part of the initiative, highlighting prospects for the development of regional connectivity and the expansion of economic interdependence.

The two sides also discussed opportunities to deepen economic cooperation between Armenia and the European Union, as well as issues related to the export of Armenian products to European markets. In this context, they examined the potential role of Alexandroupoli Port as a transit and distribution hub for cargo exported from Armenia to Europe.

Armenia’s Honorary Consul in Thessaloniki, Akis Dangazyan, also participated in the meeting.