Armenia remains on course towards the west after the election

General election

Armenia remains on course towards the west after the election

Prime Minister Pashinyan wants to lead the South Caucasus Republic of Armenia into Europe. According to initial information, he will be confirmed in office in an election. But tensions with Russia remain.

According to initial projections, the pro-Western head of government Nikol Pashinyan has won the parliamentary election in the South Caucasus republic of Armenia. According to the Central Election Commission, 57 percent of Armenians voted for Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party after counting from 110 of the approximately 2,000 polling stations. The strongest opposition force was the pro-Russian Strong Armenia party led by billionaire Samvel Karapetjan with 21 percent.

Former President Robert Kocharyan and his Armenia party came in third place, receiving just over eight percent of the vote. Kocharyan is said to have excellent relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. With the Blooming Armenia party, a third pro-Russian force would currently also enter parliament with around five percent of the vote. However, for a majority of the forces loyal to Moscow, this is initially not enough.

At 59 percent, voter turnout was significantly higher than in the previous parliamentary election in 2021. At that time it was only 49 percent.

The high level of voter activity is also due to the importance of the ballot, which was seen by the government and opposition as a directional choice. Under Pashinyan, who has ruled since 2018, Armenia is moving closer to the West and striving to join the EU. This is happening at the expense of relations with long-time ally Russia.

Pashinyan has already had to go through a number of crises in recent years. The long conflict with its arch-enemy Azerbaijan was particularly difficult for Armenia. In two short but bloody clashes between 2020 and 2023, Azerbaijan conquered Nagorno-Karabakh, which was then predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians.

100,000 Armenians had to flee the region into the heartland. In the Armenian capital Yerevan, people took to the streets – including against Pashinyan, whom they accused of incompetence. To this day, there is great anger among parts of the population against the head of government, who was unable to defend Nagorno-Karabakh against its highly armed neighbor, who had become rich through oil.

But at the same time, the loss of the area also shook the faith of many people in the country in Russia, the traditional protecting power. The Russian leadership, which was at war in Ukraine at the time, did not help the Armenians and remained passive in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

This is also why Pashinyan has only strengthened his westward course in recent years. Sandwiched between Azerbaijan and its great ally Türkiye, Armenia is dependent on a compromise with its stronger neighbors. In order to secure a stable peace with Azerbaijan, Pashinyan relied on Europeans and the USA as mediators.

While the opposition accused him of treason because of the defeat in the war and subsequent negotiations, the head of government emphasized the importance of peace in the region. In fact, many Armenians recently credited Pashinyan with merit in establishing peace and security. “There is no longer constant shooting at the border, that’s good,” said Lilith, a tour guide from Yerevan who identifies herself as a supporter of Pashinyan. Because of that and because she didn’t want the corrupt old elite, which had allied itself with Moscow, back, she voted for Pashinyan, she explained.