June: 8, 2026
In the extraordinary session of June 8, the Central Electoral Commission ratified the protocol of preliminary results of the regular elections of June 7, 2026.
Accordingly, the total number of voters included in the voter lists was 2503981, the total number of voters in the additional list of voters drawn up in the polling station on the day of the election: 1237, the total number of voters in the additional list of voters who voted with mobile boxes: 1178, the number of voters who participated in electronic voting: 410, the total number of voters: 2507216, the total number of voting participants: 1477736
On June 6, the Migration and Citizenship Service of the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that as of June 6, the day before the NA elections to be held on June 7, 2026, the total number of voters included in the RA voter register was 2 million 485 thousand 851.
Since the day before yesterday, there has been talk about “secret lists” with the inclusion of which, according to CEC, changed the previously published figure of 2 million 485 thousand 851 voters.
What kind of “classified list” is there, are they lists of military personnel or other closed systems personnel? 168․aminquired from Seda Ghukasyan, press secretary of the CEC president.
“Our lists include all those citizens who have the right to vote. If it is a secret list, it means that it is not subject to publication. those lists also contain information that is not subject to publication, so I cannot detail who they are and what number there is.
This applies to all elections. the lists of the CEC and the Ministry of Internal Affairs never match,” explained Seda Ghukasyan.
—
“What is happening is not diversification of foreign policy, but magic
June: 8, 2026
Political scientist Vazgen Hovhannisyan in my opinion, the change in the foreign political vector of any country takes place when there is a potential for it, at the moment, RA foreign policy does not have a clear strategic logic, and this means at least a policy aimed at neutralizing Armenia’s external threats.
“We know that external threats come from Turkey and Azerbaijan. For example, when Aliyev says something, he clearly turns it into politics, his goal is that he wants to lead the statehood of Armenia to its dismantling.
Aliyev talks about the implementation of the “Western Azerbaijan” narrative, that is, he put forward this discourse, a paradigm. He adopts clear resolutions, tries to “probe” the Armenian environment, make it a subject of discussion, and then move from a clear action plan to its implementation.” of 168.am Vazgen Hovhannisyan mentioned in a conversation with
According to the political scientist, Aliyev is talking about the “corridor”, what the TRIPP government will call is another question, but Aliyev had the ideological basis of this “corridor” for which he fought. In other words, this means uninterrupted entry and exit through the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.
“We see that these foreign political dangers exist, but steps aimed at neutralization by the Armenian side are not being implemented,” he emphasized.
Regarding the statements regarding the diversification of foreign policy, Vazgen Hovhannisyan said that for diversification, first of all, you need to have a power resource, but, unfortunately, Armenia does not have that resource.
“What is happening today is not a diversification of foreign policy, but a magic of foreign policy, the price of which will be paid by the Armenian people.
Ensuring the interest of any state is the possible increase in the dose of force and the neutralization of the threat, that is, the behavioral model of the state is conditioned by the fact that it will neutralize the threats and, if possible, increase the dose of force. In the anarchic environment of international relations, you are thus able to ensure the vitality of your state.
If we take this model I mentioned and apply it to the behavior of our state, we will see that we are not a rational actor, that is, our actions are not aimed at neutralizing threats. How can you give a corridor to your opponent and consider it a neutralization of the threat? Not firing at the border does not mean that the threat has been neutralized, this is a negative “peace”, which enables the enemy to gradually implement the plans he has planned,” our interlocutor emphasized.
Continuing the thought, the political scientist also added that states are exclusively guided by their interests in international relations. If at this moment the interests of the states coincide, and they have not even signed an agreement, and if it is in their interests, then the security risks will be immediately neutralized. There may be legal documents, but if it is not in the interests of the countries, they will not neutralize the threat with these documents.
—
168: The movie is just starting. bear your pain, stand up for your votes, mandates
June: 8, 2026
In the “Pressing” program Satik Seyranyan The guest is Ruben Mkhitaryan, head of the “My Powerful Community” faction of the Gyumri Council of Elders, public figure, producer. is.
The main theses of the interview are below.
- The government aimed to reproduce itself, for this it received all possible “dabros” from the superpowers to use repression against the opposition and to rig elections, and it did. Nikol Pashinyan and his team pocketed the vote. In 30 years, we have seen many elections, for example, in 1996, but we have not seen that the counting of votes is stopped at night, it is said that it will be in the morning, and in the morning clearly different numbers are presented… If what the CP did in this election, 10% of it was done in the past, we would have seen a rebellious political society, statements of European ambassadors and reports of the Council of Europe.…
- At night, during Nikol Pashinyan’s press conference at 2 o’clock, the faces of the CP members testified that there had been shouting inside before that. Nicole held a press conference to provide the emotional backdrop for the morning’s mockery.
- Former member of the National Assembly: 2021 during the elections, the number of invalid ballots was about 4,000, and now it is about 17,000. In other words, with this shameful number, Nikol wants to say that so many of our people do not know how to vote…
- There are videos of how in Meghri the doors are not closed, the soldiers gathered in the courtyard enter and vote for hours. It is obvious that the soldiers in the army, being under specific pressure, voted for Nikol Pashinyan.
- When entering the voting, there was a case with my relative, when the person giving the ballots recognized that the given voter was in the opposition, they gave two or 17 ballots, or other… All possible frauds were made to consider these elections as illegitimate.
- The opposition this time gathered 100,000 more votes than in 2021, and Nikol gathered 40,000 more votes in 5 years.
- Nikoli needed 64 mandates in order to collect 3/5 of the votes and be able to appoint important positions. IF “Prosperous Armenia” (PAP) had passed, it would not have received so many mandates, but would have received only 61 mandates. In case of 64 mandates, it can adopt constitutional laws. He needs 6 more for a constitutional majority.
It should be noted that according to the RA Constitution, at least 3/5 of the votes of the total number of deputies is necessary for the adoption of constitutional laws, including the adoption/amendment of the Law on the Regulations of the National Assembly, the Electoral Code, the Judicial Code, the Law on the Constitutional Court, the Law on the Referendum, the Law on Parties, and the Law on the Defender of Human Rights.
Without 3/5, the CP of Nikol Pashinyan cannot elect or dismiss the judges of the Constitutional Court, the Court of Cassation, the members of the Supreme Judicial Council.
Without 3/5, the CP cannot elect or dismiss the Prosecutor General, the Defender of Human Rights.
He cannot elect or dismiss the members of the Central Electoral Commission, the members of the Television and Radio Commission, the members of the Audit Chamber, the President of the Central Bank.
Moreover, if the CP has 3/5 of the votes, it is not enough to make amendments to the Constitution or put the fundamental articles of the Constitution to a referendum.
Nor can Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev change the RA Constitution through a referendum or adopt a new Constitution, change the preamble and remove the reference to the Declaration of Independence. Without 2/3 of the parliamentary votes, the ruling party, the Communist Party, cannot put to a referendum the amendments to the fundamental articles of the Constitution, which also refers to the preamble of the Constitution.
- The opposition must go after their mandates, enter the National Assembly and give up their mandates, otherwise Nikol’s chief prosecutor will go after them one by one. Nicole engaged in voice pickpocketing to solve her minimal problem.
- Nikol said that he will take 700,000 votes, and he took that much. He did not announce that number by accident. Even before the Gyumri elections, he announced that he would win 17,000 votes. The large participation of people mixed their playing cards in Gyumri and in these elections. If 1,200,000 people participated, he would get a stable majority. Yes, we have law enforcement agencies that report to Nicole every now and then where their constituents are, and they go and find them. those people…
- Opposition leaders, don’t repeat the mistake of 2021. Get in touch with your constituents, own the mandates, take them and put them down:
- It is obvious that in Armenia, if you remove the administrative resource, Nikol Pashinyan is at the weakest level of support.
- Dear Samvel Karapetyan, Robert Kocharyan, Gagik Tsarukyan, you will be seated. And you sat down, people from your teams will take you, as soon as you entered the National Assembly. You’re enabling him to kidnap people. And it’s not like everyone in your lists is invulnerable and tough. After 10 days, there will be apathetic moods in your teams. Those people will be lost, you may not even find them… The movie is just starting. You have managed to get so many votes and own your votes in all this ugliness, now it’s your turn to do the rest:
- If it stays like this, in 5 years the map that Nicole stuck on his dosh will be reduced to the size of a hat brooch.
- If they only want a mandate to hand over peredach to political prisoners, I promise, I will take everything upon myself, people in detention centers will be safe, they will not starve. But I have seen the activities of the opposition members of our parliament in the last 5 years. Dear opposition, don’t take away the next 5 years from us.
- The opposition forces, including Arman Tatoyan and Hayk Marutyan, managed to generate a significant number of votes. It is obvious that the leader of the opposition is Samvel Karapetyan. You have done a great job, I will bear your pain, stand up for your votes.
Details in the video.
—
RFE/RL – EU Hails Armenian Election Outcome
The European Union on Monday congratulated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on winning Armenia’s weekend parliamentary elections and reaffirmed support for his pro-Western foreign policy.
“The people of Armenia have voted for a future built on peace, stability and stronger cooperation with their neighbors and the world,” EU Council President Antonio Costa said in a congratulatory message also posted on X.
“You can be proud of your role in strengthening Armenia’s resilience, stability and prosperity,” he wrote to Pashinian.
“We deeply value our partnership with a democratic Armenia that is drawing ever closer to Europe,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said for her part. “Armenia can count on us.”
Von der Leyen and Costa met with Pashinian in Yerevan on May 5 for what was billed as the first EU-Armenia summit. It came the day after a European Political Community summit also held in the Armenian capital.
The gatherings were construed by the Armenian opposition as an EU endorsement of Pashinian of ahead of the June 7 elections. The Hayastan alliance, one of the main opposition election contenders, accused the EU of effectively meddling in “Armenia’s internal political processes.”
Opposition leaders have for years accused the West of turning a blind eye to what they call gross human rights abuses in Armenia for geopolitical considerations. During the parliamentary race, some of them deplored the lack of EU reaction to mass arrests of their activists and supporters on vote-buying charges strongly denied by them. The arrests continued on election day.
The European summits also contributed to a further deterioration of Armenia’s relations with Russia, its traditional allies irked by the Armenian government’s desire to join the European Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 9 that the South Caucasus nation should choose “as soon as possible” between European integration and its continued membership in a Russian-led trade bloc essential for the Armenian economy.
In the following weeks, Russia effectively banned on sanitary grounds multimillion-dollar imports of Armenian agricultural products and beverages. The EU responded by accusing Moscow of seeking to influence the election outcome through “economic coercion.” Von der Leyen said on June 4 that the EU will provide Yerevan with at least 50 million euros ($58 million) in urgent economic assistance.
—
RFE/RL – Russia Slams Armenian Elections
Underscoring its deepening rift with the Armenian government, Russia said on Monday that the weekend parliamentary elections in Armenia were not democratic and exposed a “noticeable” decline in public support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Unlike European leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin was in no rush to congratulate Pashinian despite the release of preliminary official results giving victory to the country’s ruling Civil Contract party.
“We are waiting for the final results,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov said that Moscow is also taking note of “numerous irregularities” reported during the ballot. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, went further, deploring “unprecedented pressure on the opposition and interference from the West, primarily the European Union.”
“The entire election campaign and the voting process itself took place amid harsh repression by the Armenian authorities against opposition parties and movements, their activists and supporters,” Zakharova said in a statement. “The Armenian Apostolic Church, traditionally deeply revered in the country, also came under attack. All of this constitutes a flagrant violation by Yerevan of democratic principles and procedures for holding free elections.”
Zakharova also said that Pashinian’s party did not gain a “monopoly on power,” apparently alluding to the official results that showed it winning just under half of the vote.
“Moreover, compared to the previous electoral cycle, its support [by Armenians] has noticeably declined,” she claimed.
Russian-Armenian tensions rose further in the run-up to the June 7 elections, with Moscow saying that Yerevan can no longer remain part of a Russian-led trade bloc while seeking to eventually join the EU. It imposed de facto bans on the vast majority of Armenian-made products exported to Russia.
Pashinian criticized the embargo during the election campaign while downplaying its impact on the Armenian economy and pledging to get the Russians to lift it shortly after the polls. He said he is planning to visit Moscow for more talks with Putin.
Zakharova said that further Russian actions depend on “real steps taken by the Armenian leadership.” The latter should not “lead the country to further division and socio-economic upheaval,” she warned.
—
RFE/RL – Pashinian Wins In Armenia, But No Super-Majority
- By Ray Furlong,
- RFE/RL’s Armenian Service and
- Current Time
Victory for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in parliamentary elections marks a firm slap down for Russian efforts to derail his signature pro-Western policy moves, although failure to win a two-thirds majority in parliament will complicate the ongoing US-brokered peace process with Azerbaijan.
Official preliminary results gave Pashinian’s Civil Contract party 64 seats in the 105-seat legislature, enough to remain in office for a fresh term of office. Two Russian-leaning opposition parties took the remaining seats, while a third appeared to have fallen narrowly short of the 5 percent barrier for entry into parliament pending a recount.
“With the re-election of the Armenian government, 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,” Richard Giragosian, head of the Regional Studies Center think tank in Yerevan, told RFE/RL on June 8.
Pro-Western Course Confirmed
Pashinian can now be expected to seek to push ahead with moves to strengthen ties with the European Union and the United States.
Last year, the country passed a law initiating the process of EU accession, and EU leaders have welcomed the outcome of the election.
French President Emmannuel Macron, who performed a song with Pashinian onstage during a state visit to Yerevan last month, congratulated him in a statement pledging “to further strengthen cooperation serving the interests of our peoples, to support Armenia’s peace and sovereignty, as well as to back the process of rapprochement with Europe.”
Pashinian Declares Victory, Awaits Final Margin In Armenia’s Crucial Parliamentary Vote
Pashinian’s re-election will also please US President Donald Trump, who personally endorsed him in the weeks before the June 7 vote. “Nikol completely shares my vision for peace and prosperity for Armenia and the entire South Caucasus region,” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump hosted Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House last year to symbolically bring an end to decades of conflict, both hot and cold. It was a moment that underlined the decline of Russian influence in the region since the 2023 conflict in which Azerbaijan regained control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, driving 100,000 ethnic Armenians from their homes.
The pre-election period was also marked by Russian threats and actions aimed at dampening support for Pashinian’s pro-Western path. These included restrictions targeting Armenian exports that highlighted how dependent the country is on access to Russian markets, as well as a threat by Russian President Vladimir Putin to take further measures that “could result in a loss of at least 14 percent of Armenia’s GDP.” Putin even hinted darkly at a possible “Ukrainian scenario” for Armenia.
Russia Uses Economic Chokehold To Counter Armenia’s Westward Tilt
But analysts in Yerevan said the Russian efforts to influence the outcome of the election had not succeeded.
“This vote confirms the belief that Armenia is heading in the right direction,” Giragosian said, describing it as a “pivotal parliamentary election.”
Areg Kochinian, head of the Yerevan-based Armenian Council Research Center, told Current Time that the Russian efforts had completely backfired.
“If Russia’s intention was to try to support its proxies in Armenia using various instruments — disinformation campaigns, trade wars, in other words the full arsenal of hybrid tools — then all of this produced the opposite result,” he said.
“The Armenian population was, in general, quite mobilized, I would even say ‘electrified,’ so to speak — and Pashinian achieved an impressive victory,” he added.
A Bumpy Road To Peace
This was the first election since Armenia’s military defeat in 2023 and a key part of Pashinian’s pitch was what he called “real Armenia,” meaning accepting the country’s current borders and improving relations with neighbors that have traditionally been hostile — namely Azerbaijan, but also its patron, Turkey.
Recent moves have seen the border with Turkey opening and Brussels touting it as a new route for Armenian exports to the European Union.
But while peace with Azerbaijan was celebrated at the White House, with Trump hosting Pashinian and Aliyev for the signature of a joint declaration last August, it was actually a deal to sign a future deal — and the election results could leave some bumps in the road.
Russian-Led Bloc Threatens To Suspend Armenia Due To Its EU Ambitions
Azerbaijan has demanded Armenia approve a new constitution removing references to Nagorno-Karabakh that it finds irritating. That would require a two-thirds majority that Pashinian has not secured.
“The most important new issue in Armenia after the elections is, or will become, the topic of adopting a new constitution,” said Kochinian.
“First, it is a continuation of democratic reforms and changes in our country. And second, it is linked to the continuation of the peace process with Azerbaijan. Since neither of these outcomes is in Russia’s interests…without opposition support it will not be possible to initiate the process of adopting a new constitution — because at least two-thirds of parliament are required to start it, which would then lead to a referendum on adopting a new constitution,” he explained.
In Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on June 8 the election had taken place amid “unprecedented pressure on the opposition and interference from the West.” She added that the elections showed that Armenia was deeply polarized.
Rubio Voices Support For Armenia’s Pashinian Ahead Of June 7 Elections
Her position echoed a statement overnight by Samvel Karapetian, head of the Strong Armenia party that came second with 29 seats, claiming “persecution” and hinting without evidence that the vote count was being manipulated.
Karapetian was arrested last year on charges of calling for the unlawful seizure of power and is currently under house arrest.
An international observer mission by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) noted on June 8 that there had been “numerous criminal proceedings of opposition candidates and activists, resulting in many opposition supporters refraining from actively engaging in the campaign.”
OSCE special coordinator Farah Karimi told a news conference in Yerevan that “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.”
However, the OSCE also called out Russian interference.
“Direct pressure from abroad in the form of escalating trade restrictions and security threats during the campaign aimed at unduly influencing voters in favor of opposition forces was observed,” Karimi said.
NOTE: This article was amended to correct the number of seats in the Armenian parliament.
—
Armenpress: US Secretary of State congratulates PM Pashinyan on election victo
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the victory of the ruling Civil Contract party in Armenia’s parliamentary elections.
“Congratulations to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his party’s reelection. The United States stands with Prime Minister Pashinyan and Armenia in the pursuit of peace, and we are committed to advancing the goals of the historic Washington Peace Summit, including implementation of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). We look forward to working together to deliver peace, stability, and prosperity to the South Caucasus and beyond,” Rubio wrote on his X social media account.
According to the preliminary results of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections, three political forces have surpassed the threshold required to enter parliament: the Civil Contract party with 727,160 votes, or 49.825%; the Strong Armenia alliance with 340,088 votes, or 23.281%; and the Armenia alliance with 145,113 votes, or 9.934%.
Based on the preliminary results, the Civil Contract party is expected to secure a parliamentary majority and form a government.
Published by Armenpress, original at
—
Iranian FM congratulates Pashinyan on electoral victory
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has congratulated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Civil Contract party on their victory in the parliamentary elections.
“Extend sincere congratulations to His Excellency PM Nikol Pashinyan for his party’s electoral victory. Our neighbors are our priority,” Araghchi said on X, posting an Armenian-language congratulatory message.
“I extend congratulations on the successful conduct of Armenia’s parliamentary elections and on the victory of Prime Minister Mr. Nikol Pashinyan and the party he leads. We are pleased that favorable conditions have been created to continue constructive cooperation aimed at strengthening the positive and dynamic course that has developed in Iran–Armenia relations,” he said in the Armenian-language post.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party garnered the most votes—49.81%—in the June 7 parliamentary elections, securing a majority in the next parliament.
Published by Armenpress, original at
—
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulates Pashinyan on electoral victo
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his electoral victory.
“Prime Minister Carney congratulates Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his election victory in Armenia and looks forward to continuing their work together to deepen the partnership between our countries and create prosperity for both our peoples,” the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on X.
Published by Armenpress, original at
—
Romanian president congratulates Pashinyan on electoral victory.
President of Romania Nicușor Dan has extended congratulations to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his electoral victory.
In a post on X, Dan said he looks forward to a stronger partnership.
“Congratulations, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, on your victory in the elections! Romania and Armenia share a long-standing friendship and I look forward to further consolidating our partnership,” the Romanian President said.
Published by Armenpress, original at
—