Armenia votes as Pashinyan seeks new term under Russian pressure
Why it matters: The result will shape Armenia’s EU drive, its economic ties with Russia and a divisive peace track with Azerbaijan.
Armenians voted June 7 in a high-stakes election that could determine whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan keeps steering the country toward Europe while managing heavy economic dependence on Russia. Pashinyan, in power since 2018, has pushed legislation to start the process of joining the European Union and moved ahead with a U.S.-brokered peace process with Azerbaijan. But his support has weakened after Azerbaijan retook Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, displacing about 100,000 ethnic Armenians. An International Republican Institute poll put Pashinyan’s Civil Contract at 32%, while about 40% of voters said they trusted no political figure. His main challenger, businessman Samvel Karapetyan, is campaigning through his nephew while under house arrest on accusations of plotting to overthrow the government.