{"id":18229,"date":"2026-06-08T02:51:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=18229"},"modified":"2026-06-08T02:55:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:55:40","slug":"armenias-pro-europe-party-wins-election-and-cements-shift-away-from-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=18229","title":{"rendered":"Armenia\u2019s pro-Europe party wins election and cements shift away from Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Back to News<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, speaks to the media after parliamentary elections.\u00a0Photograph: Anthony Pizzoferrato\/AP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Result strengthens PM Nikol Pashinyan\u2019s drive for deeper integration with Europe despite warnings from Moscow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pjotr Sauer<\/a>\u00a0in Yerevan, Mon 8 Jun 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenia\u2019s ruling pro-Europe party has won parliamentary elections, confirming the country\u2019s pivot towards Europe and away from its traditional ally, Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final results in the small South Caucasus country showed the prime minister Nikol Pashinyan\u2019s Civil Contract party securing a slim majority, while the Strong Armenia alliance, led by the Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, won 25% of the seats in parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result, which will be welcomed in Brussels but viewed with dismay in Moscow, strengthens Pashinyan\u2019s hand as he pursues his signature and politically sensitive goal: a peace agreement with Armenia\u2019s longtime adversary Azerbaijan and the normalisation of relations with Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe people of Armenia voted for peace, regional prosperity and regional cooperation, and I hope this will be met with a positive response from Turkey and Azerbaijan,\u201d Pashinyan said at his campaign headquarters as the results began to trickle in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pashinyan added that Armenia would continue to deepen ties with the west while maintaining its membership of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A former journalist who swept to power during the 2018 Velvet Revolution promising to dismantle Armenia\u2019s oligarchic system, Pashinyan has campaigned on a platform of peace, arguing that ending the country\u2019s decades-long confrontation with its neighbours would unlock economic opportunities, improve security and reduce its dependence on Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pashinyan<\/a>
Pashinyan at a rally in the town of Ijevan, Armenia, in April 2018.Photograph: Gleb Garanich\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister, known for his populist and at times divisive rhetoric, has sought closer ties with Europe<\/a>, suggesting that Armenia\u2019s future lies in deeper integration with the west and expressing hope that the country could one day join the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European leaders were quick to congratulate Pashinyan. In a message on X, the European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, hailed his victory as evidence of \u201ca democratic Armenia\u201d that was \u201cdrawing ever closer to Europe\u201d. She added: \u201cArmenia can count on us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pashinyan had also received an endorsement from Donald Trump, who described him as \u201ca great friend and leader\u201d. The US has taken an increasingly prominent role in efforts to broker a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunday\u2019s vote is the first national election since Armenia\u2019s loss of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan in 2023<\/a>, a traumatic defeat that ended more than three decades of Armenian control over the disputed region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opposition has sought to portray the loss as evidence of Pashinyan\u2019s failures, accusing him of surrendering historical Armenian lands to its enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Azerbaijani<\/a>
Azerbaijani service members gather in Aghdam, Karabakh, in 2020. Photograph: Aziz Karimov\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pashinyan has tried to turn the issue into a political asset. Arguing that Armenia\u2019s pursuit of Karabakh helped trap the country in perpetual conflict and dependence on Russia, he has presented the painful chapter as the necessary starting point for a more secure and prosperous future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet difficulties remain for Pashinyan, who failed to secure the supermajority needed to call a referendum on amending the constitution, including removing references that Azerbaijan says imply territorial claims to Nagorno-Karabakh \u2013 a crucial condition for signing a final peace agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lilit Mkrtchyan, a shopkeeper from the capital, Yerevan, said Pashinyan\u2019s victory would bring \u201cpeace and stability to Armenia\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArmenians are tired of war. We want to be an open, European country that develops and prospers, where I don\u2019t have to worry that my son will be called up to fight,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pashinyan\u2019s course has put him in the crosshairs of Moscow, which has long projected influence over Armenian politics and the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Armenians became disillusioned with Russia after Moscow failed to come to their aid when Azerbaijan seized Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Nikol<\/a>
Nikol Pashinyan with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, October 2024, during an annual summit attended by leaders of former Soviet states. Photograph: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The fallout prompted Pashinyan to suspend Armenia\u2019s participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization of six post-Soviet states, including Russia, marking the most dramatic rupture in relations with Moscow since the country\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the run-up to the election, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin<\/a>, said Armenia, which has not formally applied for EU membership, was heading down the same path as Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenian officials and analysts have accused Russia of attempting to influence the election through disinformation campaigns in favour of pro-Russian candidates, and efforts to fly Armenians living in Russia back home to vote against Pashinyan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent weeks, Moscow has adopted a more overt approach, imposing a series of trade restrictions affecting everything from flowers and fish to fruit and Armenian brandy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindful of Armenia\u2019s deep economic dependence on Russia and its reliance on cheap Russian gas, Pashinyan promised after the vote to pursue a balanced foreign policy, saying that the was \u201cno question of choosing\u201d between Russia and the west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pashinyan has been buoyed up by strong economic growth after the influx of Russian businesses and capital following the invasion of Ukraine, leading him to invest heavily in Armenia\u2019s regions, where his support remains strongest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet observers have also pointed to his increasingly personalised style of politics, and what critics describe as growing authoritarian tendencies in Armenia, a country that remains a rare democratic outlier in a region largely governed by strongmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
A campaign poster for Strong Armenia. Samvel Karapetyan\u2019s party won 25% of the seats in parliament. Photograph: Karen Minasyan\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the run-up to the elections, Armenian authorities arrested opposition figures, including members of Karapetyan\u2019s party, with accusations ranging from vote-buying and financial crimes to calls to overthrow the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karapetyan was detained in June and charged with calling for the seizure of power, leading him to campaign from house arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the election, Pashinyan said his party\u2019s priority for the next term would be the complete dismantling of what he described as a \u201ccriminal-oligarchic system\u201d. He also said leading opposition figures should face criminal prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the campaign, Pashinyan has at times appeared erratic, engaging in angry public disputes with refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, whom he accused of having \u201crun away\u201d from the region rather than staying to fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU, meanwhile, has largely brushed aside criticism of Pashinyan, making little secret of its support for Armenia\u2019s shift away from Moscow. This week, Brussels announced an initial \u20ac50m (\u00a343m) support package to help Armenia withstand Russian economic pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen Grigoryan, a doctor who voted for Karapetyan on Sunday, said: \u201cPashinyan is not the man he was when he came to power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to the Ottoman-era mass killings of Armenians that Yerevan and many western countries recognise as genocide, he added: \u201cWe can\u2019t just be friendly with Turkey and pretend the past is erased.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observers say many voters backed Pashinyan largely because the opposition remained widely discredited and closely linked to Russia. Tatul Hakobyan, a popular Armenian commentator<\/a>, said: \u201cPeople are choosing the lesser of two evils. The alternatives to Pashinyan are much worse.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back to News The Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, speaks to the media after parliamentary elections.\u00a0Photograph: Anthony Pizzoferrato\/AP Result strengthens PM Nikol Pashinyan\u2019s drive for deeper integration with Europe despite warnings from Moscow Pjotr Sauer\u00a0in Yerevan, Mon 8 Jun 2026 Armenia\u2019s ruling pro-Europe party has won parliamentary elections, confirming the country\u2019s pivot towards Europe and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18229"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18229"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18232,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18229\/revisions\/18232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}