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Pivot to Europe
Armenians voted in a parliamentary election on Sunday as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his governing Civil Contract party sought a strong mandate for a “new geopolitical course” for Armenia under “mounting Russian pressure.”
The election was closely watched because Pashinyan’s course is aimed at strengthening ties with the European Union and deepening cooperation with the West, while opposition parties include some that are “vocally pro-Russia.”
Polling closed at 8 p.m. local time, with preliminary results expected Monday, and the Central Election Committee reported turnout of 33.84 percent as of 10:00 GMT.
Pashinyan cast his ballot saying, “The European Union is our main partner in democratic reform implementation, and we will continue that path,” and he also insisted, “our relations with Russia are institutional and based on mutual respect,” according to Armenpress.
The stakes were framed around Armenia’s peace efforts with Azerbaijan and the government’s efforts to loosen ties with Moscow after Russia compared Armenia’s EU path to Ukraine’s, with Putin saying, “And how did it start?”
Pressure, arrests, threats
Russian officials have hit Armenian exports with restrictions in recent weeks, and President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials made “thinly veiled threats comparing Armenia’s path to that already taken by Ukraine.”
Armenian investigators said they issued six arrest warrants for members of the opposition Strong Armenia party the day before the election, accusing them of buying votes, and the Central Election Committee confirmed Saturday that Strong Armenia could run after an appeal by Republic.
Strong Armenia party head Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire under house arrest, told reporters at a polling station, “The Armenian people will make the right choice and Armenia will finally have a legitimate government,” before returning home.
In a separate framing of the same geopolitical contest, the Guardian said Pashinyan’s Civil Contract entered the vote as the favourite ahead of three opposition candidates who advocate for closer ties with Moscow, and it noted that “Moscow, Brussels and Washington all closely watching the vote.”
The Kremlin’s warnings were also tied directly to the EU question, with Putin saying, “We are currently living through everything that is happening in respect of Ukraine. And how did it start?”
What’s at risk next
The election’s outcome was presented as a test of whether Armenia continues its shift toward Europe and away from Russia, with the Al Jazeera report describing it as “a test of the government’s efforts to forge a peace deal with rival Azerbaijan and loosen ties with Moscow.”
Armenia’s National Assembly must consist of at least 101 members elected for five-year terms, parties must win at least 4% of the vote to take a seat, and blocs made up of three or more parties must hit 8%, according to AP News.
The campaign was also described as a choice between lasting peace with Azerbaijan and a return to war, with Pashinyan framing the vote that way while pro-Russia opposition parties accused him of risking a conflict with Moscow.
The Guardian said a strong majority for Pashinyan would give him a mandate to pursue his “signature and politically sensitive goal: a peace agreement with Armenia’s longtime enemy Azerbaijan and the normalisation of relations with Turkey.”
In the background of that push, the Guardian reported that Pashinyan received an endorsement from Donald Trump, who described him as “a great friend and leader,” while Russia projected influence over Armenian politics and the economy.
