Civil Contract Party Claims Victory Across Yerevan and Gyumri in Armenian Parliamentary Elections
Yerevan, Armenia – June 9, 2026 – The ruling Civil Contract Party has secured a majority of votes in all administrative districts of Yerevan, as well as in Gyumri, a city where the opposition had hoped for a victory. This was announced by MP Vahagn Aleksanyan on June 9, following the parliamentary elections held on June 7.
Aleksanyan noted that while the percentage of votes for the ruling party was lower than in the 2021 elections, the absolute number of voters supporting them increased. In 2026, the Civil Contract Party garnered 727,000 votes, compared to approximately 680,000 in 2021. In Gyumri, the party received the support of 27,000 voters, accounting for over 50% of the votes, according to Aleksanyan.
Opposition Alleges Widespread Electoral Violations and Calls for Annulment
Despite the ruling party’s claims of victory, the parliamentary elections have been marred by widespread accusations of fraud and violations from various opposition forces, human rights activists, and observer missions. Ruben Melikyan, a human rights defender, stated that the parliamentary elections in Armenia were “completely falsified.” He highlighted that these falsifications occurred before the campaign (e.g., through an “extraordinary” increase in pensions), during the campaign (abuse of administrative resources, political persecutions), and on election day itself.
The “Hayakve” civil initiative council has called for challenging the election results in the Constitutional Court, with the prospect of their ultimate annulment and the appointment of new elections. They emphasized that the electoral process took place under extremely unequal conditions and that there were numerous cases of massive abuse of administrative resources.
Aleksanyan, in response to the opposition’s accusations regarding violations during vote counting, particularly in precincts where undercounting was recorded, stated that the current electoral system is based on mechanical operations, making errors unavoidable. He also expressed bewilderment that opposition representatives only speak about precincts where, in their opinion, their votes were not counted, but do not make claims for cases where the number of votes in their favor exceeded the actual number.
Election Results and Parliamentary Composition
According to preliminary data from the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, after counting votes from all 2005 polling stations, three political forces will enter parliament: the ruling Civil Contract Party led by Nikol Pashinyan, the “Strong Armenia” bloc led by Samvel Karapetyan, and the “Armenia” bloc led by former President Robert Kocharyan. The results of other candidates fell below the 4% threshold required for parties and the 8-10% threshold for blocs.
Notably, Gagik Tsarukyan’s “Prosperous Armenia” party lost the 4% threshold after adjustments to the preliminary results by the Central Electoral Commission, meaning the party will not be represented in the new parliament.
International Reactions and Future Outlook
The elections have drawn international attention, with various countries and organizations offering congratulations to Pashinyan on his victory, while others have expressed concerns. The OSCE/ODIHR observers issued a comprehensive statement on the results, noting that the online election campaign was confrontational and divisive.
The Kremlin is awaiting the official results of the Armenian elections, and Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, stated that international observers would not be able to remain silent amid the “blatant violation of the interests of the entire people” during the elections in Armenia.
Despite the controversies, Pashinyan’s party has the opportunity to form the country’s government independently, having secured a majority of seats in the Armenian parliament. He made this announcement late at night, when data from only about 10% of the polling stations had been processed.
The “Strong Armenia” bloc’s headquarters is currently analyzing the situation and clarifying the real picture of the expression of voters’ will. The bloc has stated that it will make an announcement after the completion of real calculations. The “Armenia” bloc also intends to appeal the results to the Constitutional Court.
Regarding potential personnel changes in the government, Aleksanyan reported that there have been no such discussions within the Civil Contract Party.
The voter turnout for the elections was 58.97%.
