Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party has secured a third consecutive term after winning 49.7% of the vote in the 7 June parliamentary election. The party will hold 64 seats in the new parliament, enough to govern alone, but not enough to initiate constitutional amendments seen as crucial for advancing the peace process with Azerbaijan. Opposition groups have rejected the results and launched legal challenges.
According to final election results, only three political forces entered parliament: Civil Contract with 64 seats, the Strong Armenia alliance with 29 seats, and the Armenia alliance with 12 seats. The Prosperous Armenia party narrowly missed the 4% threshold, falling short by just 0.0107 percentage points.
The result strengthens Pashinyan’s ability to govern without coalition partners and gives the ruling party more than three-fifths of parliamentary seats. This allows it to influence appointments to key state institutions and amend legislation affecting major constitutional bodies. However, the party failed to secure the two-thirds majority required to launch constitutional reforms.
The shortfall could complicate efforts to finalize a peace agreement with Azerbaijan. Baku has made constitutional changes a condition for completing the peace process, arguing that references linked to the Karabakh issue should be removed from Armenia’s constitution. Armenian officials have acknowledged that the ruling party currently lacks sufficient parliamentary support to advance such amendments.
Opposition parties have challenged the election outcome, alleging electoral violations and manipulation of results. Several opposition groups have appealed to the Central Electoral Commission and announced plans to take the case to the Constitutional Court. It also remains unclear whether some opposition blocs will take their seats in parliament or boycott the legislature.
At the same time, the government has signaled further action against opposition figures linked to Moscow. Authorities recently prevented several prominent opposition leaders from leaving the country, while anti-corruption investigators reported dozens of ongoing cases involving alleged electoral offences, including vote-buying. The ruling party has pledged tougher penalties for election-related crimes.
The election took place amid heightened tensions between Armenia and Russia, with opposition parties advocating closer ties to Moscow and the government maintaining a pro-Western foreign policy course. Russian officials have publicly questioned the outcome of the vote.
The new parliament is expected to provide political stability for Pashinyan’s government, but uncertainty remains over constitutional reform efforts, the future of the peace process with Azerbaijan, and the opposition’s attempts to contest the election results.
