Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan survived Russia’s best efforts to influence this month’s election against him. That allows Pashinyan to continue guiding his small South Caucasus nation’s Westward turn. Still, he lacks the decisive mandate needed to finalize peace with longtime foe Azerbaijan, and Moscow retains multiple levers of power to keep Yerevan trapped in Russia’s sphere of influence.

The vote was always more than a domestic contest. After Azerbaijan trounced Armenian forces in the 2020 and 2023 conflicts over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinyan charted a sharp break with Armenia’s nominal ally, Russia. Yerevan instead turned toward the United States and Europe while seeking to make peace with Baku. This culminated in a historic August 2025 meeting at the White House, where the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders initialed a framework agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict.

On June 7, Armenians voted to maintain that course. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party secured 49.81% of the vote, giving it 64 seats in the 105-member National Assembly. The leading opposition party, Strong Armenia, backed by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, came in second with 23.27% and 29 seats. Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance, which also favors close ties with Russia, took 12 seats.