Armenia’s High-Stakes Election Battle Begins as Rivals Clash Over War, Peace and Armenia’s Future

Armenia’s official pre-election campaign has begun ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections, with 19 parties and alliances competing for votes across the country. Political forces are travelling through Armenia’s cities, villages, and regions, meeting citizens, presenting their programs, and trying to gain public trust before election day. The Armenian Report has been following the campaign trail throughout the first week as political tensions continue to grow.

The campaign will continue until June 5. After that, Armenia will observe a mandatory “day of silence,” giving citizens time to decide who they want to vote for on June 7.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is seeking re-election with the ruling Civil Contract party. Since the start of the campaign, Pashinyan and members of his team have travelled through Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Armavir, Yerevan, and other regions. Civil Contract has focused its campaign on the slogan “Stand for Peace,” while promoting peace with Azerbaijan, domestic reforms, pensions, healthcare insurance, and school construction.

During campaign events, Pashinyan again defended his “Real Armenia” ideology and made controversial remarks about Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Not only was it not ours, but it was also used so that Armenia itself would not belong to us. When they say ‘Karabakh was ours, now it is no longer ours’ — that is a lie. The reality is that Armenia itself was not ours; now it is ours,” Pashinyan claimed.

One of the ruling party’s main challengers is the Strong Armenia Alliance linked to Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan. Although Karapetyan remains under house arrest and cannot legally run because he holds Russian and Cypriot citizenship, the alliance has still named him as its prime ministerial candidate.

Karapetyan’s team has accused Pashinyan of damaging Armenia’s relationship with Russia and putting Armenia’s future at risk. The conflict between the two sides has become increasingly personal during the campaign.

Karapetyan accused Pashinyan of using hallucinogenic mushrooms, later saying it was only an assumption. Pashinyan responded publicly in a Facebook video:

“In short, there was no need to make him eat [hallucinogenic mushrooms]. He voluntarily ate, of course knowing what I said and that I would make him eat.”

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, who leads the Armenia Alliance, has also strongly criticized the current government. Kocharyan accused Pashinyan of dividing the country and weakening Armenia’s security.

“I also do not remember elections where the main discourse was war or peace. This is unique, and this discourse, this phenomenon, has been brought by the current authorities — dividing our people, our history, our mountains, and this cannot simply disappear,” Kocharyan said.

The campaign has also included tensions between Pashinyan and Gagik Tsarukyan of the Prosperous Armenia Party. Pashinyan publicly attacked Tsarukyan’s fugitive son during a campaign rally in Yerevan, while Tsarukyan responded by saying politics should not involve attacks against family members.

“All over the world, there is a rule that in politics you must never talk about [a rival’s] family, children, parents, mothers,” Tsarukyan said. “If they have a problem, let them talk about me. I will never downgrade my class.”

Alongside campaign speeches and rallies, Armenian authorities have announced several criminal cases connected to the election period, including alleged vote-buying and violations of campaign rules. Members and affiliates connected to Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance were detained in Lori province, while police also reported a separate electoral bribery case in Yerevan.

The Armenia Alliance rejected the accusations, calling them politically motivated and accusing the authorities of trying to create fear during the election campaign.

As the first week of campaigning comes to an end, Armenia’s political atmosphere remains tense and deeply divided. The main debate continues to center around war and peace, Armenia’s relations with Russia and Azerbaijan, the future of Nagorno-Karabakh, and accusations that political rivals are serving foreign interests.

The Armenian Report will continue following developments across the country as parties and alliances continue campaigning ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections.

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