Armenia braces for election amid Russian pressure

Key facts

• Armenia holds parliamentary elections on June 7.
• The election features the pro-Western Civil Contract party against pro-Russian opposition.
• Russia has restricted Armenian exports and threatened energy supplies.
• Russia is accused of sponsoring disinformation campaigns against Prime Minister Pashinyan.
• Armenia is pursuing closer ties with the West and an EU accession process.
• Peace efforts with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh are a central election issue.

Armenia is holding parliamentary elections on June 7, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's pro-Western Civil Contract party facing a challenge from pro-Russian opposition parties. Opinion polls suggest Civil Contract may not secure the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution. The election is seen as a referendum on Pashinyan's handling of the peace process with Azerbaijan, particularly after the 2023 offensive that displaced nearly all ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia has intensified pressure, restricting exports and threatening energy supplies, and is accused of sponsoring disinformation campaigns to discredit Pashinyan. Armenia is strengthening ties with the West, beginning its EU accession process, and exploring transit corridors bypassing Russia. The pro-Russian opposition advocates for maintaining close ties with Moscow. Progress on normalizing relations with Turkey, which closed its border in 1993, has been slow. Pashinyan rose to power in 2018, but his party's popularity has since fallen. The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has been a source of tension since the USSR's collapse. Russia is Armenia's largest trade partner. The election will test Armenia's ability to loosen its dependence on Russia and reorient toward the West.