Key facts
- Armenia holds a parliamentary election 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 a parliamentary election on Sunday, with the governing Civil Contract party, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, facing a challenge from various opposition parties, many of which are pro-Russian. Opinion polls suggest Civil Contract will be the largest party but may not secure the two-thirds majority required 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 led to the displacement of nearly all ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia has intensified pressure on Armenia, restricting exports and threatening energy supplies, while also being accused of sponsoring disinformation campaigns to discredit Pashinyan. Armenia has been strengthening ties with the West, adopting a law to begin its EU accession process and exploring a transit corridor that bypasses Russia. The pro-Russian opposition, including a party led by an Armenian-Russian billionaire, advocates for maintaining close ties with Moscow and criticizes Pashinyan's policies. Progress on normalizing relations with Turkey, which closed its border in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan, has been slow. Pashinyan, a former news reporter, rose to power in 2018 and his party won over 70% of the vote in a subsequent election, but popularity has since fallen. The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan with a historical ethnic Armenian majority, has been a source of tension since the USSR's collapse. Russia is Armenia's largest import and export partner and both countries' nationals have enjoyed visa-free travel and work opportunities. The election on June 7 will test whether Armenia can loosen its dependence on Russia and reorient itself toward the West, with the United States' willingness to assist being a factor.