Pro-Western party wins Armenian election

Election results on June 8 showed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won 49.8% of the vote, far surpassing the 23.3% of the Strong Armenia coalition led by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. Voter turnout reached 59%.

The above result will strengthen Prime Minister Pashinyan’s position in his efforts to pursue the goal of reaching a peace agreement with long-time rival Azerbaijan and normalizing relations with Türkiye, as well as Armenia’s tendency to lean towards Europe.

“The Armenian people voted for peace, prosperity and cooperation in the region. I hope this will receive a positive response from Türkiye and Azerbaijan,” Mr. Pashinyan said at the election campaign headquarters as the results began to be announced.

Prime Minister Pashinyan hailed this as a “historic victory” and pledged to carry out a balanced foreign policy, affirming that Armenia will “continue the process of getting closer to the West” but at the same time tighten relations with Russia.

In the capital Yerevan, voters welcomed Prime Minister Pashinyan’s victory with mixed emotions of relief, hope and anxiety. Some see this as a premise for peace, while others warn that Armenia’s future remains uncertain.

“I’m very happy that our people trust Mr. Pashinyan again,” said Aram Mnatsakanyan, a 58-year-old welder.

Mr. Pashinyan began his term as Prime Minister in 2018. Over the years, Armenia has sought to reduce security dependence on Russia and expand relations with the West, including efforts to apply to join the European Union (EU).

These moves made Moscow unhappy and repeatedly criticized the Pashinyan government for showing signs of being anti-Russian. “The West is scary not because it makes empty promises, but because it deceives under the guise of a commitment to prosperity, but in reality begins to ‘suck blood’ and eliminate real good things,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in 2024 warned Armenia about relations with the West.

EU President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Prime Minister Pashinyan on the victory, and affirmed that “Armenia can count on us”.

French President Emmanuel Macron commented that this result will create “motivation to further tighten relations between Armenia and Europe”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry again criticized the vote in Armenia, accusing “Western interference” in this process.

Relations between Russia and Armenia, which are traditional allies, have been somewhat broken since September 2023, after the Azerbaijani army launched a campaign to attack pro-Yerevan separatists in Nagorno – Karabakh and regained this area. Pro-Yerevan separatists controlled Nagorno – Karabakh after the war in the early 1990s.

Prime Minister Pashinyan criticized Russia for not stopping Azerbaijan, being skeptical about the alliance relationship and suspending participation in the security bloc led by Russia, signing a strategic partnership agreement with the US, and putting Armenia on the path towards joining the EU.

Türkiye, meanwhile, is Azerbaijan’s strategic ally and strongest supporter.