2026 Armenia Parliamentary Elections

2026 Armenian Parliamentary Elections were the general parliamentary elections held on 7 June 2026 to determine the five-year legislative term in Armenia. This was the first regular parliamentary election since 2017, following two early elections held in 2018 and 2021 due to political crises.

Across the country, a total of 18 political forces (16 parties and 2 alliances) competed with 2,103 candidates in 2,005 polling stations. The results showed that the Civil Contract Party, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, secured 49.81% of the vote and came in first place. The party won 61 seats in the 105-seat National Assembly, achieving an outright majority.

^{Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan makes statements to the press after the election, 8 June 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

Armenian parliamentary elections are conducted under a closed-list proportional representation system in which voters cast ballots for parties’ fixed candidate lists. A 4% electoral threshold applies to political parties; for political alliances, this threshold rises to 10%.

Armenian election legislation allows for the winning party in the election to receive additional seats to raise its share of parliamentary seats to 52%, even if its actual vote share falls below that threshold, as an incentive for stable governance.

The number of registered voters eligible to participate in the election was announced as 2,485,232. A total of 18 different candidate lists competed for the minimum requirement of 101 parliamentary seats. The election process was monitored by 8 international and 13 local observation missions, along with diplomatic representatives and foreign election bodies. A total of 71 media organizations were accredited to cover the elections. Compared to the 2021 elections, the number of accredited foreign journalists nearly tripled to 180.

^{2026 Armenian Parliamentary Elections, 7 June 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

Parties and alliances that participated in the parliamentary elections included the Civil Contract Party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Strong Armenia Alliance founded by businessman Samvel Karapetyan, the Armenia Alliance led by former President Robert Kocharyan, and the Prosperous Armenia Party. In addition, the Reformist Party, the Merit Party, the Unity Wing Party, the Bright Armenia Party, and various other political formations also competed in the elections.

Samvel Karapetyan, founder of the Strong Armenia Alliance, conducted his election campaign from his home while under house arrest. On election day, Karapetyan was escorted by security personnel to a polling station to cast his vote.

Voting for the parliamentary elections began at 08:00 local time on 7 June 2026 and ended at 20:00. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan cast his vote in Yerevan and subsequently answered questions from journalists.

Technical issues were reported at some polling stations related to electronic voter registration systems. In some locations, voter congestion led to long queues. During the day, power outages occurred at certain polling stations in Yerevan; electricity service was restored in affected areas after voting concluded. Romanos Petrosyan, Acting General Director of Armenian Electric Networks, confirmed that energy supply had been restored in all affected regions.

^{2026 Armenian Parliamentary Elections, 7 June 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

The election process was monitored nationwide by local observation organizations. The Union of Independent Observers reported that at 18:00, it had identified various violations and procedural shortcomings at approximately 800 of the 1,830 polling stations it visited.

Major findings reported by the organization included procedural violations, issues regarding ballot secrecy, election campaigning at polling stations, and disputes between election officials and party representatives. It was noted that 39% of the recorded violations were linked to representatives of the Strong Armenia Alliance and 29% to representatives of the Civil Contract Party.

The Union of Independent Observers stated that no irregularities at 18:00 were found that could have affected the outcome of the election.

Another local observation body, the Independent Observer, announced that by 10:30, approximately 700 of its observers had visited 860 polling stations. The organization raised concerns about the transparency level of ballot envelopes used at some polling stations, which it said could compromise ballot secrecy, and filed a complaint with the Central Election Commission and the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that a total of 619 complaints were received through emergency and election reporting hotlines. Reported incidents included attempts at multiple voting, allegations of violations of ballot secrecy, complaints about denial of voting rights, attempts at vote buying, actions aimed at obstructing the election process, and cases of possession of cutting tools, hooliganism, and physical assaults at some polling stations. The ministry reported that 18 individuals had been detained in connection with these incidents, while hundreds of reports and complaints remained under investigation.

^{2026 Armenian Parliamentary Elections, 7 June 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

By the end of election day, the Armenian Investigative Committee announced that 59 criminal cases had been opened in connection with election-related allegations. Of these, 43 were being handled by regional investigative units and 16 by units in Yerevan. A significant portion of the cases involved allegations of multiple voting or voting on behalf of another voter, while others concerned claims of violations of ballot secrecy.

According to final figures released by the Central Election Commission, as of the closing of voting at 20:00, voter turnout stood at 58.97%. Of 2,503,976 registered voters, 1,476,597 cast ballots. This represents the highest level of voter participation since the 2017 elections. Comparative data is as follows:

•       2017: 1,575,786 voters, 60.88%

•       2018: 1,261,105 voters, 48.63%

•       2021: 1,281,997 voters, 49.39%

•       2026: 1,476,597 voters, 58.97%

The highest turnout by region was recorded in Syunik at 66.67%, followed by Vayots Dzor (65.63%), Tavush (63.40%), Aragatsotn (61.70%), Kotayk (61.66%), Ararat (59.87%), Lori (58.59%), and Yerevan (58.46%). The lowest turnout was recorded in Gegharkunik at 54.60%.^【1】

The Central Election Commission released its first official results at 00:45 based on data from 110 polling stations. According to these initial figures, the Civil Contract Party led with 57.14%, while the Strong Armenia Alliance came second with 21.43%. The Armenia Alliance received 8.21% and the Prosperous Armenia Party received 5.10%.

Final results from all 2,005 polling stations across the country were announced on the morning of 8 June 2026. A total of 1,476,916 votes were counted. The final vote distribution was as follows:

•       Civil Contract Party: 49.81%

•       Strong Armenia Alliance: 23.29%

•       Armenia Alliance: 9.94%

•       Prosperous Armenia Party: 4.00%

According to data reported by the Armenian media from the Central Election Commission, the projected seat distribution in the new 105-seat National Assembly is as follows:

•       Civil Contract Party: 61 seats

•       Strong Armenia Alliance: 28 seats

•       Armenia Alliance: 11 seats

•       Prosperous Armenia Party: 5 seats^【2】

On 8 June at 02:15 local time, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a press conference at the Civil Contract Party’s election headquarters and announced his party’s victory. Pashinyan stated: "I thank all my colleagues in the party. We worked day and night, and this is a historic victory. This victory belongs to the Armenian people."

^{Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan makes statements to the press after the election, 8 June 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

Pashinyan stated that opposition leaders including Robert Kocharyan (Armenia Alliance), Gagik Tsarukyan (Prosperous Armenia Party), and Samvel Karapetyan (Strong Armenia Alliance) would be prosecuted and imprisoned.

Strong Armenia Alliance leader Samvel Karapetyan labeled the victory declaration made when vote counts reached only 30% as "manipulative" and alleged serious procedural irregularities during the vote counting process. He also claimed that authorities had halted the vote count and announced that results would only be released in the morning.

Unity Wing Party leader Arman Tatoyan assessed the premature victory declaration made when less than 10% of votes had been counted as "unconstitutional" and "an overreach of the Prime Minister’s authority." Tatoyan described this action as "an openly illegal pressure" and "a punishable act" aimed at influencing the election results through the Central Election Commission.

At the press conference where Pashinyan announced his victory in the parliamentary elections, he also responded to the question: "What is your message to the Turkish people and the Azerbaijani people?"

Pashinyan said: "This message is dedicated to peace, regional prosperity, and regional cooperation. I hope this will be met with positive responses from both Turkey and Azerbaijan." He emphasized that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be institutionalized.

Pashinyan noted that Armenia and Turkey had "achieved a very good dynamic" and added: "We must sustain this dynamic to make the final leap."

Pashinyan highlighted the necessity of opening borders and establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey, expressing satisfaction with the decision to reopen the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway line for Armenian exports and imports.

Pashinyan stressed the need to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan and to immediately launch the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project, which aims to connect Azerbaijan’s main territory with Nakhchivan. He added: "This project means overcoming the geographic isolation of our region. This is major news because our region is moving from a dead end to a crossroads. This is excellent news for all of us."

Pashinyan also stated that Armenia would continue its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and continue developing relations with Russia. He emphasized that the process of alignment with the European Union would continue, but noted that Armenia was not yet ready for EU membership and aimed to pursue democratic reforms during this process.

Pashinyan disclosed that after the election, he had held informal talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister of Georgia.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent a congratulatory message to Pashinyan following election day. In his message, Tokayev stated: "According to the preliminary assessments of the vast majority of international observers, the elections were conducted in accordance with the country’s current electoral legislation, in an open manner and under conditions conducive to citizens freely exercising their right to vote."

Tokayev wished Pashinyan success in serving Armenia’s long-term national interests and emphasized that Astana was ready to continue active cooperation with Armenia in all areas of mutual interest.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs also congratulated Pashinyan on the Civil Contract Party’s electoral victory.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze congratulated Pashinyan on his early victory declaration, welcoming the continuation of cooperation and the strengthening of bilateral relations between Georgia and Armenia.