(7 Jun 2026)
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4664004
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Yerevan, Armenia – 7 June 2026
1. Various of people receiving ballot papers
2. Armenian Prime Minister Nikos Pashinyan walking
3. Pashinyan casting ballot
4. Leader of Strong Armenia opposition party Samvel Karapetyan arriving at polling station
5. Karapetyan casting ballot and waving
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kostya Manenkov, The Associated Press: ++STARTS ON SHOT 1 AND PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOTS 7 AND 8++
“Armenians are voting in parliamentary elections as the government seeks to loosen its ties with Moscow and increase cooperation with the West. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is looking for a strong mandate for a new geopolitical course, but he faces an opposition that supports stronger ties with Moscow and accuses him of attempting to start a war with Russia. Pashinyan’s outreach to the West has also displeased Moscow, which has imposed restrictions on Armenian exports in the run-up to the vote, while President Vladimir Putin has made veiled threats. Many experts expect Pashinyan to retain control of the parliament, with early results expected on Monday.”
7. Various of people in voting booths
8. Various of people casting ballots
STORYLINE:
Armenians voted in a parliamentary election on Sunday as the incumbent government, under mounting Russian pressure, sought to loosen ties with Moscow and deepen cooperation with the West.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his governing Civil Contract party are looking for a strong mandate for a new geopolitical course for Armenia. The opposition they face includes some parties that are vocally pro-Russia.
Russian officials have hit Armenian exports with a barrage of restrictions in recent weeks.
President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have made thinly veiled threats comparing Armenia’s path to that already taken by Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia.
Armenia’s National Assembly must consist of at least 101 members who are elected for five-year terms.
Parties must win at least 4% of the vote to take a seat, while blocs made up of three or more parties must hit 8%.
Two political blocs and 17 parties are taking part in Sunday’s election.
Most pollsters and experts have predicted Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018 following sweeping street protests, will come out ahead.
Pashinyan has spoken on several occasions about the need for a balanced foreign policy to ensure that Armenia maintains good relations with the United States, Europe and Russia, as well as regional powers such as Turkey and Iran — both of which border Armenia.
Unlike the Civil Contract party, most of Armenia’s opposition supports building stronger relations with Moscow.
The Strong Armenia party seeks to develop business ties with Russia and has accused Pashinyan of attempting to start a war with Moscow.
Other potential contenders include former President Robert Kocharyan, who leads the Hayastan bloc and also has accused Pashinyan of undermining relations with Russia, and the Prosperous Armenia Party, led by pro-Russia business owner Gagik Tsarukyan.
These parties also have strongly criticized Pashinyan for attempting to normalize relations with neighboring Azerbaijan.
The Armenian leader and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initialed a document on moving toward a peace deal at the White House alongside Trump in August.
Armenia and Azerbaijan were locked in a decades-long conflict over the fate of Karabakh, a breakaway region that had been controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia.
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