Category: News

Preliminary results from local government elections held in 19 communities across Armenia show that the ruling Civil Contract party received the most votes in most of the communities where multiple political forces competed, according to data published by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).

In Artashat, Ararat Province, Civil Contract received 85.95% of the votes cast, or 23,729 votes. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) received 10.59%, or 2,925 votes, while the New Era Party received 3.43%, or 948 votes.

In Araks, Armavir Province, Civil Contract received 71.95% of the votes, or 6,257 votes, while the Justice Alliance received 28.02%, or 2,437 votes.

In Armavir, Armavir Province, Civil Contract was the only political force on the ballot. It received 96.07% of votes cast, or 13,395 votes, while 3.43%, or 479 voters, voted against it.

In Gavar, Gegharkunik Province, the Solidarity alliance of Civil Contract and the Businessman Party received 81.71% of the votes, or 10,380 votes. The Sovereign Armenia Party received 10.81%, or 1,374 votes, while the Armenian Vote Party received 7.46%, or 948 votes.

In Martuni, Gegharkunik Province, Civil Contract received 67.61% of the votes, or 12,320 votes. The Our Community Party received 16%, or 2,971 votes; the ARF received 11.28%, or 2,053 votes; and the Country to Live Party received 4.81%, or 878 votes.

In Vardenis, Gegharkunik Province, Civil Contract was also the only political force on the ballot. It received 93.78% of votes cast, or 9,530 votes, while 5.68%, or 578 voters, voted against it.

In Stepanavan, Lori Province, the Businessman Party received the largest share of the vote, with 41.54%, or 5,506 votes. Civil Contract received 35.32%, or 4,681 votes, while the Strong Armenia Party received 19.68%, or 2,609 votes.

In Garni, Kotayk Province, Civil Contract was the only political force on the ballot. It received 94.23% of votes cast, or 3,235 votes, while 5.38%, or 185 voters, voted against it.

In Tsaghkadzor, Kotayk Province, Civil Contract received 84.56% of the votes, or 2,460 votes, while the ARF received 15.43%, or 449 votes.

In Hrazdan, Kotayk Province, Civil Contract received 90.82% of the votes, or 17,195 votes, while the ARF received 9.16%, or 1,736 votes.

In Akhuryan, Shirak Province, Civil Contract was the only political force on the ballot, receiving 92.34% of the votes, or 10,838 votes. A total of 7.06%, or 829 voters, voted against it.

In Artik, Shirak Province, Civil Contract received 74.79% of the votes, or 13,067 votes. The Free Democrats Party received 10.53%, or 1,840 votes; the Country to Live Party received 8.84%, or 1,545 votes; and the Homeland Party received 5.82%, or 1,017 votes.

In Goris, Syunik Province, the Solidarity alliance of Civil Contract and the Businessman Party received 93.57% of the votes, or 13,959 votes, while the Living Vote Alliance received 6.41%, or 957 votes.

In Meghri, Syunik Province, Civil Contract received 71.83% of the votes, or 3,407 votes. The Country to Live Party received 18.82%, or 893 votes; the European Party of Armenia received 5.33%, or 253 votes; and the Meritocratic Party of Armenia received 3.98%, or 189 votes.

In Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor Province, Civil Contract received 48.06% of the votes, or 7,382 votes. The Republic Party received 46.86%, or 7,197 votes, while the New Era Party received 5.07%, or 779 votes.

In Jermuk, Vayots Dzor Province, Civil Contract received 92.76% of the votes, or 2,615 votes, while the Country to Live Party received 7.20%, or 203 votes.

In Vayk, Vayots Dzor Province, Civil Contract was the only political force on the ballot, receiving 96.11% of the votes, or 4,186 votes. A total of 3.39%, or 148 voters, voted against it.

In Dilijan, Tavush Province, Civil Contract received 76.27% of the votes, or 4,822 votes. The Country to Live Party received 16.24%, or 1,027 votes, while the Republic Party received 7.45%, or 471 votes.

In Ijevan, Tavush Province, Civil Contract received 86.12% of the votes, or 10,403 votes, while the Sovereign Armenia Party received 13.85%, or 1,637 votes.

Local government elections under the majoritarian system were also held in Fioletovo, Lori Province, and Shamiram, Aragatsotn Province. The Central Electoral Commission had not yet published data on the results in those communities.

Mayor Tigran Avinyan has instructed the city’s Transport Department to announce the next tender for the purchase of buses for Yerevan’s public transport system exclusively for electric buses.

Speaking at a City Hall executive meeting, the mayor emphasized the importance of ensuring that Yerevan’s transport network consists entirely of electric buses in the near future.

“In the next phase, we need to replace the Higer buses. It is already time for us to switch entirely to electric buses. This means that the Transport Department should announce the next tender exclusively for electric buses,” Avinyan said.

The Yerevan mayor also spoke about the importance of dedicated bus lanes. Analyses show that dedicated bus lanes significantly improve the quality and frequency of public transport services, he said.

“For example, a fleet operating on a dedicated lane with 15 buses performs more efficiently than a fleet of 25 buses providing passenger transport without a dedicated lane. In other words, a dedicated lane gives our bus network a significant advantage. Mr. Grigoryan, this year I expect you to present a phased plan for dedicated bus lanes. Bicycle lanes should be incorporated alongside bus lanes everywhere. Starting this year, we will gradually begin implementing the comprehensive dedicated-lane program,” Avinyan said, addressing Deputy Mayor Suren Grigoryan.

Yerevan will designate all areas required for the construction of the Metro’s Ajapnyak station as being of overriding public interest, Mayor Tigran Avinyan has said.

“The public hearings held on the designation of overriding public interest have gone well. All areas required for the construction of the Ajapnyak station will be designated as being of overriding public interest,” he said at a meeting of Yerevan City Hall officials.

“Regardless of everything, we must begin construction next year. We have been talking about this for a very long time. I understand that we have lost the knowledge and capacity to build a metro, but one important condition is that the construction of the Ajapnyak station must be carried out by an Armenian company. We do not want to limit ourselves to just the Ajapnyak station. We want to have people who understand how to build a metro and develop that capacity in Armenia,” Avinyan added.

Top officials from Mecca Pact countries Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan are to meet Iran’s leaders in Tehran on Monday in their ‌first high-level contact since the kingdom became a pressure point in the wider Iran conflict.

Saudi Arabia will be represented by Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Türkiye by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Reuters reported, citing Saudi and Iranian officials.

The talks come as attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have spiraled over recent weeks and rhetoric between Washington and Tehran has grown more heated.

Monday’s planned talks would be the first high-level contact between Iran and all members of the three-nation bloc since Saudi Arabia was drawn deeper into the conflict. Under the Mecca ⁠Joint Defense Agreement signed in August, an armed attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

A senior Iranian official said the meeting was initiated by Pakistan, during Munir’s visit to Tehran last week, as he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials. During the visit, Iranian officials told him there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met, according to Iranian media.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that Armenia needs a new, state-centered opposition. The PM touched upon the issue during a live broadcast on his Facebook page, addressing the results of the local self-government elections held in 19 communities in Armenia on October 25.

The ruling Civil Contract party won by a wide margin in most of the communities.

“Yesterday, local self-government elections were held in a number of communities in Armenia, as a result of which the Civil Contract party, or, so to speak, pro-Civil Contract candidates and teams, won a landslide victory. This situation needs to be assessed politically from several perspectives. It is not a simple situation, and I want to present my assessments and perceptions. First, during the parliamentary elections, I had promised, and it was my commitment, that the Rob-Serzh-Kaluga-Ktrich forces, or, in a word, the espionage forces, the four-headed party of war, must be destroyed, and the results of the local self-government elections show that this has happened with the help and support of the citizens of Armenia. But, on the other hand, I want to speak honestly and directly: as someone who assumed the office of prime minister of Armenia as a result of the 2018 nonviolent Velvet Revolution, I am by no means happy that we received 90-plus, 80-plus or 70-plus votes in a number of communities, because, however pleasant these figures may seem at first glance, these percentages evoke certain associations. But they also raise the question of the opposition in Armenia. We must assess this situation correctly: on the one hand, we must indeed uproot the espionage opposition, which is controlled from abroad, from Armenia, but on the other hand, Armenia must have a state-centered opposition,” the prime minister said.

He emphasized that they had discussed this issue in various formats and raised the question of what the government could and should do to facilitate the formation of a new opposition.

“Our conclusion is that we should do nothing, meaning that we should not be practically and actively involved in this regard. Otherwise, we could end up in a worse situation and attempt to restore the worst practices in Armenia. You remember that Armenia had what was called a client and controlled opposition. That is equally disastrous for Armenia. But I believe that a new, state-centered opposition and a genuine opposition must emerge in Armenia, one that engages in real political activity rather than espionage. It is obvious that this is necessary, but, on the other hand, the government cannot and must not create an opposition, because that would be a controlled opposition, a fake opposition,” Pashinyan elaborated.

The solution, he said, is for non-ruling and state-centered forces in Armenia to become more active.

“We naturally cannot support them, but we will not hinder them in any way. We are interested in the genuine formation in Armenia of an opposition that acts based on the interests of Armenia and the Armenian people and is grounded in democratic values and logic, rather than one that operates through electoral bribes or by investing stolen and plundered wealth in politics and turning politics into an instrument for protecting what has been looted. I am raising this as a very important item on the agenda, but what I am saying at this point is rhetorical. At this point, I can congratulate us all on successfully carrying out the work of destroying the espionage opposition, or the four-headed party of war, with the support of the Armenian people, of course. But it is also obvious that Armenia needs a new, political, democratic, state-centered opposition,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan stressed that the Government of Armenia is carrying out institutional reforms and will continue to do so to ensure that this state-centered opposition emerges.

“I wanted to draw everyone’s attention to this agenda. Of course, while congratulating all our candidates and teams that won landslide victories in the communities, I want to say that our joy has also given rise to certain concerns, and in the coming period, we must hold public discussions on how to proceed and how to work toward forming a political system in which a state-centered opposition emerges in Armenia and also exercises genuine and constructive oversight over the actions of the authorities.

“I want to say that in our communities, too, where no strong opposition has emerged as a result of the elections, the issue of public oversight remains unresolved. I hope that public groups and civil society representatives will fulfill this function, but on the basis of truth,” he noted.

Pashinyan once again emphasized that “the four-headed party of war must be uprooted from Armenia, and the criminal oligarchy and mafia must be uprooted from Armenia.”

“With the October 25 local self-government elections, the issue has been resolved to this extent and in this respect, but, as I have had occasion to say before, when you solve one problem, two or three new problems emerge. Now, we have solved one problem through yesterday’s elections, and three new problems have emerged. First, how can we ensure that the election results do not create the impression of authoritarianism and dictatorship? Second, how can we ensure that an objective mechanism of public oversight operates in communities where a high level of trust has been received? Third, how can we ensure the formation in Armenia of a state-centered, young, intellectual, objective and honest opposition that is governed and guided solely by its own voters and citizens? These are questions we must think about,” Pashinyan concluded.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received a delegation led by Gert Jan Koopman, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood.

According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the steady development of Armenia–European Union relations and stressed that the sides are actively developing their partnership in all possible areas.

Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that the Armenian government is interested in deepening and expanding ties in transport, energy, and digitalization, as well as in strengthening overall economic diversification and resilience. Pashinyan once again emphasized the EU’s support for promoting the export of Armenian goods, as well as the implementation of programs to develop the technical capacities needed by Armenian producers and exporters.

Gert Jan Koopman noted that the EU welcomes the Armenian government’s ambitious reform agenda and is ready to provide continued support for this process by expanding cooperation in all areas that contribute to Armenia’s sustainable development.

The sides discussed the current stage of Armenia–EU relations, economic and sectoral cooperation, and ongoing efforts in digitalization, energy, infrastructure development, and democratic reforms.

They also discussed issues related to regional security and stability and efforts to unblock regional transport links.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a meeting to discuss issues and proposals concerning the rethinking of taxation systems.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan stressed that the policy objectives underpinning the rethinking of taxation systems form the pillars of the Government’s fiscal policy. Their central aims are to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the tax burden, proper documentation of economic activity and transparency.

Hovhannisyan said the proposed changes were intended to ensure an effective balance between taxation systems. In this context, it was emphasised that the changes aim to promote small business development by reducing the administrative burden and ensuring tax fairness and equal conditions for competition.

Participants discussed taxation systems and transaction arrangements, the policy objectives underpinning the rethinking of taxation systems, and the introduction of clear criteria for tax compliance and determining whether parties are related.

Prime Minister Pashinyan stressed the importance of implementing revenue policies that support sustainable economic growth and improving the efficiency of tax administration. He instructed officials to continue work consistently in these areas.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has congratulated Serbia’s Students’ List and the student movement on their victory in the parliamentary elections.

In a congratulatory post on X, the prime minister highlighted Armenia’s readiness to work with Serbia’s next government.

“Congratulations to the Students’ List and studentblokade on their electoral victory in Serbia. Armenia looks forward to working with Serbia’s next government to further strengthen our longstanding friendship and bilateral cooperation,” Pashinyan wrote.

Following Serbia’s snap parliamentary elections on 25 October, Aleksandar Vučić conceded his political force’s defeat. According to Reuters, before the final results were announced, Vučić said the Students’ List could secure 135–140 of parliament’s 250 seats, while his political camp could win 105.

The student movement emerged following the collapse of the canopy at Novi Sad railway station in 2024, which killed 16 people. Protesters demanded accountability and action against corruption in the wake of the tragedy. The protest movement, which continued for around two years, became the government’s main challenger in the parliamentary elections.

Armenia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan has addressed changes to administrative fines for traffic violations and the results of the Patrol Service’s work, stressing that the primary purpose of increasing fines is not to boost state revenues but to prevent violations and change citizens’ behavior.

“I want to reaffirm my position that, from the Ministry’s perspective, stricter measures are primarily intended to serve a preventive purpose,” Sargsyan told reporters during a press briefing, stressing that penalties should prompt citizens to reconsider their decisions to violate traffic rules.

She highlighted that a number of changes have been introduced recently, including a 20% reduction in fines for switching to electronic notifications and a 30% reduction for paying a fine within 15 days. However, despite these options and an increase in the number of violations detected, the expected change in behavior has yet to be fully observed.

Sargsyan stressed that consistent measures are necessary to ensure road safety. Traffic violations cannot go without consequences or be cost-free; every violation must have consequences. As an example, the minister singled out cases of double parking, for which tens of thousands of administrative violations have been recorded.

“Even when patrol officers impose penalties 172% more often—that is, detect more violations—it does not in any way help stop people from committing those violations. Under these circumstances, we must move toward stricter measures,” the minister said.

According to Arpine Sargsyan, patrol officers work without rest, from morning until evening, in all areas to restore discipline. Effective management, however, also requires setting priorities: depending on the situation, managers must be able to determine which categories of violations require greater attention in terms of prevention and detection on a given day or during a particular month.

However, the problems across all areas limit this opportunity. The minister stressed that double parking cannot be considered acceptable behavior, with the amount of the fine being the only matter open to discussion. Consistent measures are necessary to ensure road safety: traffic violations cannot go without consequences, and compliance with traffic rules is every citizen’s responsibility.

Addressing the results of road safety measures, Sargsyan presented figures showing a decline in the number of people killed and injured.

“Comparing 2024 and 2025, there were 95 fewer road deaths in the Republic of Armenia. According to the figures available today, compared with the same period last year, there have been seven fewer deaths and 40 fewer injuries,” the minister said.

According to her, the Patrol Service has doubled the detection of several types of violations directly related to road traffic safety, and in some cases, the number has tripled.

She emphasized that the positive changes in road safety statistics should not be attributed solely to the work of the Patrol Service, although its role is significant, adding that efforts to reduce traffic violations, prevent accidents, and minimize fatalities and injuries will continue.

Armenia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan said proposed legislative amendments are intended to close gaps in the law that can prevent domestic violence cases from proceeding.

Sargsyan said at a press briefing that the current legislation provides for mechanisms under which the further progress of proceedings may depend on the victim’s complaint or on the prosecutor’s broad discretion, depending on how the offense is classified.

In domestic violence cases, the prosecutor has discretion to decide whether to continue proceedings under the public prosecution procedure.

Sargsyan noted that, in addition, the current legislation does not provide for exceptions to the application of the provisions on genuine remorse and reconciliation procedures in domestic violence cases.

Taken together, these provisions place the main burden on the victim to prove the violence they have suffered or to ensure that proceedings continue. According to the minister, the proposed package of amendments is intended to ensure that the continuation of proceedings does not depend on the victim’s complaint or the prosecutor’s discretion, and that the process of determining liability can proceed.

Addressing concerns that the amendments could lead to abuse or unfounded reports, Sargsyan noted that, even under the current Criminal Code, it is theoretically possible to file an unfounded report against a person.

In this regard, it is important that the law clearly define the offense and that the bodies conducting the proceedings assess the situation and the factual circumstances.

The minister emphasized that the rules governing the initiation and continuation of proceedings do not mean that law enforcement authorities will act on every report without verifying its validity.

The full range of criminal procedure mechanisms will remain in place. If it is established that someone has provided false information about another person to the body conducting the proceedings, the matter will also be considered in terms of liability for making a false accusation.

At the same time, Minister Sargsyan stressed the importance of considering the bill from the perspective of domestic violence victims. According to her, victims sometimes find the courage to turn to law enforcement authorities only after the fifth or sixth incident of violence. However, when the prosecutor has discretion over whether to proceed, or when reconciliation with the victim or withdrawal of the complaint is possible, proceedings may not continue, leaving the victim trapped in the same cycle of violence once again.

According to the minister, the aim of the bill is to establish a clear and consistent response mechanism so that, whenever an incident of violence occurs, its investigation continues.