Nationwide voting has begun in Armenia, the results of which will determine the country's political future for the coming years. It is the new composition of the National Assembly that will shape the state's further development course, defining its place on the international arena and the domestic agenda. For citizens within the republic, polling stations are open until 20:00 local time. Voting abroad is not being held this time.
Counting Schedule and Early Forecasts
The Central Election Commission of Armenia has committed to informing the public about the process in real-time. Publication of voter turnout data began at noon and will be updated every three hours with a slight delay. The first voting results are expected around 23:00. However, experts warn: data from small and remote polling stations will not allow for an objective picture of the distribution of forces.
Truly indicative figures will only appear after processing ballots from major cities. The key factor will be Yerevan, where about a third of all voters in the country live. According to local observers, results from the capital will begin to come in during the night of June 7 to 8, approximately between 02:00 and 03:00. A full online vote count is planned to be completed by Monday morning.
Rules of the Game: Proportional System
The Parliament of Armenia is elected exclusively by a proportional system — only by party lists. 16 parties and two political blocs have entered the fight for seats in the new convocation of the National Assembly. The threshold for entry into parliament is set at 4% for parties and 8% for electoral blocs. When counting results, only valid ballots will be taken into account, while invalid votes will not affect the distribution of percentages between participants.
Key Players and Geopolitical Context
Experts and politicians call these elections decisive for Armenia's foreign policy course. The incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been in power since 2018, is promoting a strategy of deepening cooperation with the EU and the US, striving to gradually reduce dependence on Russia. His party, "Civil Contract," is one of the main favorites of the race.
The main opponents are the "Strong Armenia" bloc of businessman Samvel Karapetyan and the "Armenian Alliance" of former President Robert Kocharyan. On the eve of the voting, the situation around one of the favorites — the "Strong Armenia" bloc — intensified. The pro-European party "Republic" demanded the removal of the political force from the elections, accusing it of possible voter bribery. However, the Central Election Commission of Armenia unanimously rejected this complaint, stating there were insufficient grounds for disqualification. As a result, the bloc retained the right to participate in the elections.