YEREVAN (Realist English). The Central Election Commission of Armenia has finalized the results of the parliamentary elections held on June 7. The ruling Civil Contract party of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received 49.81% of the vote, which, after the redistribution of votes from parties that failed to cross the threshold, will give it about 60% of seats in the National Assembly.
The opposition Strong Armenia and Armenia blocs refused to recognize the results, alleging massive fraud, pressure on election commissions and arrests of their supporters.
Western leaders, including the head of the European Commission and the US president, congratulated Pashinyan on his victory, while Moscow expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the vote, and observers from the CIS and CSTO recorded “unprecedented pressure on the opposition.”
Official CEC Results: Civil Contract Wins Constitutional Majority
After 100% of ballots were counted, the CEC of Armenia announced the following results:
| Political Force | Share of Votes |
| Civil Contract (Nikol Pashinyan) | 49.81% |
| Strong Armenia (Samvel Karapetyan) | 23.29% |
| Armenia (Robert Kocharyan) | 9.94% |
| Prosperous Armenia | 4.00% |
| Other 14 parties | less than 4% |
Thus, 14 political forces did not cross the 4% threshold, and their votes were redistributed among the leaders. As a result, Civil Contract will receive about 60% of the seats in the new parliament, allowing the party to form a government on its own and pass key legislation without coalition partners.
Voter turnout was 58.97% — the highest since 2018 and almost 10% higher than in the 2021 elections. A total of 1,476,597 people voted out of more than 2.5 million eligible voters. The highest turnout was recorded in Syunik (55.36%), Vayots Dzor (54.15%) and Tavush (53.27%). In Yerevan, 48.52% of voters cast their ballots.
Repression and Usurpation of Power
Election day was marked by numerous reports of violations, mutual accusations and arrests.
The opposition blocs refused to recognize the results. The leader of Strong Armenia, Samvel Karapetyan (who is himself under house arrest on charges of public calls for the violent seizure of power), claimed that the authorities “stopped the vote count” after seeing the ruling party’s results decline. A representative of the Armenia bloc, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, accused Pashinyan of “usurping power” and pressuring the Central Election Commission, calling the authorities’ actions “classic repression.”
Law enforcement agencies reported the detention of 18 people on suspicion of violating electoral law. They recorded 38 suspected cases of multiple voting, 31 violations of voting secrecy, and 6 cases of obstruction of voting rights. A total of 619 reports were received from citizens via the hotline and emergency number 112.
The opposition, for its part, claimed that hundreds of its supporters were detained on election day, and that the day before the vote two precinct election commission chairs and one opposition campaign chief were arrested. “These arrests were intended to paralyze the work of polling stations in opposition districts,” the Armenia bloc said.
West Congratulates, Moscow Criticizes
European Union. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his victory, saying that “the spirit of the 2018 Velvet Revolution is alive and thriving.” The EU also announced €50 million in emergency economic aid to Armenia and expanded opportunities for Armenian products to access European markets.
Georgia. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze “heartily” congratulated Pashinyan on social media platform X even before the official results were announced, expressing hope for continued “close cooperation to strengthen strategic partnership.”
Kazakhstan. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent a telegram of congratulations, noting that the elections were held “openly and in accordance with the law.” He expressed confidence in continued active cooperation between the two countries.
United States. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Nikol Pashinyan, seen as continuing US support for the Armenian prime minister’s pro-Western course. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the conduct of the elections.
Russia. Moscow reacted critically to Pashinyan’s victory. State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin said the elections broke “all records for rudeness, use of administrative resources, and arrests.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had warned before the vote that an “anti-democratic scenario” would deprive the elections of legitimacy. The CIS and CSTO observer missions expressed concern about “unprecedented pressure on the opposition,” and CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov spoke of “the inadmissibility of using repressive mechanisms” against opposition forces.
Observers’ Opinions Diverge
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) stated that the elections were held without serious incidents and called on all parties to respect the will of the voters. OSCE PA observers noted the high turnout and the competitive nature of the campaign.
At the same time, the CIS and CSTO observer missions expressed serious concern even before the vote. In a preliminary statement, they pointed to “administrative pressure on the opposition, restrictions on campaign freedom, and the use of administrative resources in favor of the ruling party.” The head of the CIS mission said that “such practices cast doubt on the authenticity of the citizens’ expression of will.”
Conclusions and Prospects
The convincing victory of Civil Contract and its constitutional majority in parliament will allow Nikol Pashinyan to continue his course toward European integration and rapprochement with the West without regard for the opposition.
However, the opposition’s refusal to recognize the results and Russia’s criticism could lead to a protracted domestic political crisis, street protests, and further cooling of relations with Moscow. The final formation of the government and distribution of key posts is expected within the next two weeks.
