Things are looking good for Nikol Pashinyan and his camp.Image: keystone
According to initial projections, the pro-Western government of Nikol Pashinyan is ahead in the vote in the South Caucasus Republic of Armenia, which is considered a directional vote.
June 8, 2026, 3:02 amJune 8, 2026, 3:02 am
According to the Central Election Commission, according to the first numbers, 57 percent of Armenians voted for the head of government’s Civil Contract party. The strongest opposition force was the pro-Russian Strong Armenia party with 21 percent.
At 59 percent, voter turnout was significantly higher than in the previous parliamentary election in 2021. So far, 110 of a total of around 2,000 polling stations have been counted.
The vote was marked by massive tensions with Russia. Because of Yerevan’s rapprochement with the EU, Moscow had imposed import bans on Armenian products before the election and threatened to terminate a favorable gas supply contract.
Election day itself was turbulent at times. The pro-Russian opposition complained about the arrest of more than 100 of its supporters. The authorities justified their action against the supporters of Strong Armenia around billionaire Samvel Karapetjan on suspicion of attempting to buy votes. (sda/dpa)