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Voters will determine the country’s next ruling party in Armenia’s first scheduled parliamentary elections since 2017.
On 7 June, nearly 2.5 million eligible voters in Armenia will choose among 18 parties and alliances vying for seats in parliament.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party is expected to face strong opposition from three main opposition blocs: the Strong Armenia alliance, backed by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan; the Armenia alliance, the main parliamentary opposition bloc led by former President Robert Kocharyan; and the Prosperous Armenia party, led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan.
The former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, which was previously represented in parliament as part of the “I Have Honor” alliance, will not participate in the elections.
Civil Contract
Slogan: Stand up for peace.
The Civil Contract party, led by Pashinyan, has been in power in Armenia since the 2018 Velvet Revolution and remains the frontrunner in the upcoming elections. The key question is whether the party can once again secure a constitutional majority, which would allow it to govern without coalition partners and push through constitutional changes.
The Civil Contract party entered parliament in 2017 as part of the Way Out alliance, winning just 7.7% of the vote. The following year, after then-President Serzh Sargsyan attempted to remain in power as prime minister—made possible by constitutional amendments—Pashinyan launched a protest campaign that ultimately forced Sargsyan to resign. Running in the subsequent 2018 snap elections as part of the My Step alliance, Civil Contract won over 70% of the vote.
The most serious challenge for Pashinyan remains Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, which triggered mass protests and demands for his resignation. Despite the crisis, the Civil Contract party retained power in the 2021 snap elections, winning 54% of the vote.
At the party’s congress in 2025, Pashinyan promised to establish a “Fourth Republic of Armenia” if re-elected, centered around the adoption of a new constitution—an issue Azerbaijan has repeatedly raised as a precondition for signing a finalized peace treaty.
Since 2024, Pashinyan has actively promoted his “Real Armenia” ideology, insisting that Armenians must accept modern Armenia within its current borders. He has also warned that an opposition victory could lead to a renewed war with Azerbaijan, as the opposition wants to “reconsider” peace, and further accused his main rivals of maintaining ties with foreign powers, calling them a “three-headed warmongering party.”
In foreign policy, Pashinyan stated that he seeks a “balanced and balancing” approach, making efforts to normalize relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey and deepen cooperation with the EU and the US, while maintaining ties with Russia.
According to the latest poll by the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Civil Contract party currently ranks first: as of 22 May, 32% of respondents stated they would vote for the party.
Strong Armenia
Slogan: Change is only possible with Samvel Karapetyan.
Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, whose fortune is estimated at $4.4 billion—roughly half of the country’s entire state budget—had barely participated in political life before entering politics in June 2025.
Interestingly, Karapetyan’s brother, Karen Karapetyan, has long-standing ties to the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia: he was a member of parliament in 2007–2008 and 2012–2018, and also served as chief of staff to then-President Sargsyan.
But Samvel Karapetyan’s involvement in the political sphere began only after he was arrested for statements in defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church amid rising tensions between the church and Pashinyan’s government. The authorities quickly charged him with calling for the usurpation of power, and also added separate charges of money laundering.
Today, the campaign is formally led by his nephew, Narek Karapetyan, though Samvel Karapetyan actually continues to direct it from under house arrest. Despite polling high enough to likely enter parliament on its own, Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party decided to form a broader alliance with smaller parties, New Era and United Armenians.
The Country for Living party, linked to another Russian-Armenian tycoon, Ruben Vardanyan, who has been imprisoned in Azerbaijan since September 2023, later signed a memorandum of cooperation with the bloc.
Although Karapetyan was named the alliance’s candidate for prime minister, under the constitution he cannot hold the office due to holding foreign citizenship. Despite this, the alliance has promised to amend the constitution if elected to pave the way for his candidacy.
The alliance has promised sweeping economic reforms, but concerns persist over Karapetyan’s extensive business interests in Russia and reported ties to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), leading many to question how independently he can shape Armenia’s foreign policy.
But Karapetyan rejected all accusations, insisting that Armenia remains his sole priority. In addition to the charges brought against Karapetyan, dozens of other individuals have been arrested, mostly on charges of attempted voter bribery. While there is no data on the total number of arrested party members, Armenian authorities announced that 57 election-related criminal cases were opened between February and 19 May.
These cases mostly involved members of the “Karapetyan Alliance”. For his part, Karapetyan denied distributing any bribes. According to the latest poll, Strong Armenia is currently in second place: as of 22 May, 6% of respondents stated they would vote for the party.
Armenia Alliance
Slogan: “Together we can”.
The alliance, which became the largest opposition bloc after the 2021 snap elections, is once again led by former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.
Born in Nagorno-Karabakh, Kocharyan served as president of the region before moving to Armenia in 1997, when he was appointed prime minister. A year later, he was elected president of Armenia and remained in office until 2008. The end of his presidency was marked by a violent crackdown on protests following the 1 March 2008 elections, after the opposition contested the election results as rigged.
Pashinyan was one of the protest leaders, and after his rise to power, Kocharyan was charged in connection with his alleged role in the violence.
After being elected to parliament in 2021—though Kocharyan refused to take his seat at the time, stating that “by virtue” of his character he had “always been a man of the executive branch”—the alliance dissolved by the end of 2022.
This was largely the result of the Resurgent Armenia party’s decision to leave parliament, supporting other MPs from the Armenia Alliance and I Have Honor blocs who had been boycotting parliament since May of that year, demanding the government’s resignation and holding parallel street protests against what they claimed was “Pashinyan’s readiness to make serious concessions” to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Now Kocharyan’s alliance returns in a different configuration: still including the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, it has been joined by the newly created Forward party, founded by former Republican Party member Sevak Khachatryan.
This party replaces the Resurgent Armenia party, led by former Syunik Governor Vahe Hakobyan, who was also a former Republican Party member. Kocharyan has accused Pashinyan of destroying ties with Russia and advocates for deepening relations with Russia and what he calls a “guaranteed peace,” suggesting that Russia, the US, China, and France could play a role in securing it.
According to the latest poll, the Armenia Alliance ranked third: as of 22 May, 3% of respondents stated they would vote for this party.
Prosperous Armenia
Slogan: Guaranteed peace, prosperous Armenia, secure life.
Eccentric tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan founded his party in 2004 and had previously formed coalitions with Sargsyan’s governments. After their relationship deteriorated, Tsarukyan stepped away from politics in 2015, returning ahead of the 2017 parliamentary elections, when his party once again entered parliament.
In the 2026 elections, the party is running under the “Armenia Proposal” platform in a joint list with Andranik Tevanyan’s Mother Armenia alliance and Suren Surenyants’ Democratic Alternative. The coalition has not yet announced its candidate for prime minister, though Tsarukyan has stated it will not be him.
Tsarukyan described his platform as a “political and civic Noah’s Ark” leading the country to “salvation and rebirth.” He also promised to build a Noah’s Ark memorial following the completion of the world’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ, claiming the project would attract “millions” of tourists. However, two weeks before the elections, the party faced setbacks.
On 21 May, Tevanyan was charged with espionage and high treason in what appears to be the first investigation into Russian-backed espionage and treason since Armenia’s independence.
Tevanyan is accused of being recruited by foreign intelligence services in 2024 and passing state secrets in exchange for $622,000, but he denies the allegations.
Separately, a report by the independent Russian outlet The Insider, citing leaks from the now-disbanded Russian Directorate for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, presented copies of Tsarukyan’s passport as well as financial calculations related to his 2017 election campaign.
Tsarukyan has close business ties in Russia and is also friends with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Previously, in 1979, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for robbery and the gang rape of two Russian tourists.
But in 2001, the conviction was overturned following Tsarukyan’s appeal. Prosperous Armenia currently ranks fifth, and according to the latest poll, 1% of respondents stated they would vote for the party.
Meritocratic Party of Armenia
Slogan: Labor creates strength, strength creates rights.
Despite being founded only in 2025, the party ranked fourth in the latest IRI poll published in late May: 2% of respondents stated they would vote for it in the upcoming elections, just behind Tsarukyan’s party.
Party Chairman Gurgen Simonyan advocates for Armenia’s withdrawal from Russian-led blocs, including the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), while calling for deeper integration with Western institutions.
Previously, in 2019–2020, Simonyan served on the Public Council of Armenia, an advisory body to the Armenian government.
New Power Party
Slogan: Let’s build a Kargin (“proper”) country.
The party, founded in 2024, is led by former Yerevan Mayor and well-known comedian Hayk Marutyan. Their slogan is a reference to the popular comedy sketch show “Kargin Haghordum” (“Proper Show”), co-created by Marutyan and aired since the early 2000s.
Marutyan was a prominent supporter of Armenia’s Velvet Revolution, after which he was elected mayor of Yerevan as part of the then-ruling My Step alliance. But in 2021, he was ousted by the ruling coalition in a vote of no confidence and has since taken an opposition stance. Leading the National Progress Party, Marutyan became the main rival to the ruling Civil Contract party in the 2023 Yerevan City Council elections, finishing in second place.
But in February 2024, he was stripped of his council seat over allegations of missing too many council sessions. Later that year, Marutyan and the National Progress Party ended their cooperation, leading Marutyan to establish his own party. This election will mark Marutyan’s first participation in parliamentary elections.
His campaign has focused on satire and mocking videos, mostly targeting Pashinyan. Marutyan has also not ruled out the possibility of cooperating with Karapetyan’s alliance.
As of 22 May, the New Power party was below the electoral threshold.
Armenian National Congress
Slogan: A reasonable path for Armenia.
Although the party is nominally led by the 81-year-old first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, its election campaign is headed by prime ministerial candidate Levon Zurabyan.
The party originated in 2008 as an alliance of opposition parties and activists supporting Ter-Petrosyan after the disputed presidential election of that year—it was officially established as a party five years later.
The alliance entered parliament in 2012 with Pashinyan among its MPs, though subsequent electoral bids failed. Ter-Petrosyan and Pashinyan were once close allies, jointly leading the protests after the 2008 elections, but relations between them deteriorated sharply, especially from 2025 onwards, amid mutual accusations and criticism.
Ter-Petrosyan also supported the Church in its ongoing confrontation with Pashinyan. Despite repeatedly expressing sympathy for Karapetyan and calling for the opposition to consolidate around him, negotiations between the Armenian National Congress and Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia alliance did not lead to an agreement.
The party has promised to continue the process of peacebuilding and normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as to develop the TRIPP+BRICS concept, through which they believe “Armenia will overcome its landlocked status and become a strategic international transit hub.”
As of 22 May, the Armenian National Congress was below the electoral threshold.
Wings of Unity
Slogan: Justice is coming.
The Wings of Unity party, formed in 2025, is led by former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, who held the post from 2016 to 2022. He was perhaps Armenia’s most popular human rights defender due to his fact-finding activities, documenting the damage caused by Azerbaijan following the 2020 war and subsequent escalations.
Prior to 2016, Tatoyan served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs during Sargsyan’s presidency. The party also includes the former head of the State Revenue Committee, David Ananyan, who served under Pashinyan from 2018 until his resignation in 2020.
Previously, under Sargsyan, he served as Deputy Minister of Finance. The party’s electoral list also includes members of the nationalist Shant Alliance party. The party states that its goal is “to build an Armenia with no hidden agendas.”
An Armenian independent election monitoring group presented a report on the party’s illegal funding following an investigation by the Dossier Center, which stated that the party’s campaign may have been run on a $2.5 million budget over five months and involved coordination with Russian political consultants linked to Kremlin-affiliated structures.
The Wings of Unity party currently ranks fifth, with 1% of respondents in the latest poll stating they would vote for it.
Bright Armenia
Slogan: Protect your identity.
Bright Armenia was founded in December 2015 by Edmon Marukyan, who is best known for serving as Armenia’s Ambassador-at-Large from March 2022 to February 2024, when he resigned, citing “differences in our views on several fundamental foreign policy issues.”
Ahead of the 2017 parliamentary elections, the party joined forces with Civil Contract and the Republic Party to form the Way Out alliance, which cleared the electoral threshold.
The party achieved its best result in the 2018 snap parliamentary elections, when it entered parliament on its own.
But in the 2021 elections, it failed to clear the electoral threshold. During its latest campaign, the party nominated Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan—who was convicted of public calls for a coup in October 2025—for the presidency, arguing that Armenia should not have a president who “has no disagreements with the executive branch and does not balance the judicial and legislative branches.”
The party will not nominate a candidate for prime minister. As of 22 May, Bright Armenia was below the electoral threshold.
Republic Party
Slogan: “For you, Armenia, for you”.
The party was founded in 2001 by Aram Sargsyan, who briefly served as prime minister of Armenia in 1999–2000 following the assassination of his brother and then-Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, one of the founders of the Armed Forces of Armenia who played a central role in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
In 2017, it was part of the Way Out alliance alongside Civil Contract and Bright Armenia. In 2023, it entered into a ruling coalition in Yerevan with Civil Contract after neither party won a majority in the city council elections.
The party also participated in the “Eurovote” civic initiative, which collected over 60,000 signatures and successfully pushed the Armenian parliament to pass a bill calling on the government to pursue EU integration in 2025.
As of 22 May, the Republic Party is currently below the electoral threshold.
For the Republic Party
Slogan: Your voice in parliament.
The party was registered in 2021, and its chairman is Arman Babajanyan, who entered parliament in 2018 as a member of Bright Armenia and later became an independent MP.
The party holds a pro-Western stance and was one of the participants in the “Eurovote” initiative.
Specifically, it advocates for the normalization of relations with neighboring countries, Armenia’s withdrawal from the Russian-led CSTO and EAEU, and exclusively “horizontal” relations with Russia.
As of 22 May, support for the For the Republic party is currently below the electoral threshold.
Christian-Democratic Party of Armenia
Slogan: Vote for justice.
The party, founded in February 2021, is led by political scientist Levon Shirinyan. That year, Shirinyan ran alongside Babajanyan as the Shirinyan–Babajanyan Democratic Alliance, but the coalition failed to clear the electoral threshold to enter parliament.
Shirinyan positions his party as opposing both Armenia’s return to Russian influence and the comeback of Armenia’s former “criminal-oligarchic” political elites.
The Christian-Democratic Party of Armenia is currently below the electoral threshold as of 22 May.
“None of the Above” Democratic Party
Slogan: Against all.
Registered in March 2026, less than three months before the elections, it positions itself as an alternative political party with an alternative proposal.
The party intends to form a government for a 100-day term, amend the Electoral Code, and trigger new elections by resigning, while promising not to participate in the subsequent vote.
It argues that the current system ensures “absolute power for a single party, regardless of the election results,” and calls for the abolition of the stable majority rule, lowering the electoral threshold, and introducing a “none of the above” option to guarantee a “real choice, not an imposed one,” with those votes being converted into vacant seats.
The candidate for prime minister is human rights activist Nina Karapetyants, who promises to step away from politics for 10 years after her term ends.
The party ran a unique campaign, starting by throwing mud at the logos of all candidates, referencing a common Armenian idiom “to fling mud,” which means to defame or discredit.
The “None of the Above” Democratic Party currently ranks fifth, with 1% of respondents stating they would vote for it.
Democratic Consolidation Party
Slogan: “Let’s build an Armenian state”.
Founded in 2021, the party is led by Suren Petrosyan, a prominent supporter of the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement, which opposed border delimitation in Armenia’s northern Tavush Province in 2024.
Later, in mid-June 2024, Petrosyan left the movement following large-scale protests against Pashinyan’s government.
The party occupies a middle-ground position, supporting the maintenance of strong relations with Russia while also deepening ties with the EU and the US.
The Democratic Consolidation Party is currently below the electoral threshold as of 22 May.
“National Rebirth of Kochari” Party
Slogan: Victory is not only a memory of the past, but also a goal for the future.
Founded in March 2026, the party promises to “hire a 50,000–80,000-strong private army and liberate Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] and Nakhchivan.” The party’s chairman is Artak Sargsyan, and his brother, Arman Sargsyan, serves as deputy chairman.
According to media reports, the pair, known as the “Artur Brothers,” have long been involved in controversial political and business activities in Kenya and the Maldives, including alleged drug trafficking and document forgery, which they deny.
The brothers also supported the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement and were detained in June 2024 by the National Security Service of Armenia on suspicion of illegal weapons possession.
As of 22 May, support for the “National Rebirth of Kochari” and “National Awakening” parties is currently below the electoral threshold.
“Democracy, Law and Order” Party
Slogan: Democracy, law and order.
The party was founded in 2024 and initially nominated former military police officer Vardan Ghukasyan as its candidate for prime minister.
But the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) denied him registration, citing his failure to meet the permanent residency and citizenship requirements for the preceding four years, as required by law.
It is unclear whether they will nominate someone else or continue to support Ghukasyan. Ghukasyan gained prominence through his social media posts, publishing controversial information about various state bodies and actors.
Since May 2023, he has been wanted in Armenia on charges of extortion, contempt of court, and public calls for violence. He is currently held in a US prison on charges of violating immigration rules.
Previously, Ghukasyan led the “Public Voice” party, which won about 10% of the vote and seven seats in the 2023 Yerevan City Council elections.
Unlike the other two opposition blocs, Public Voice attended the council’s first session, helping to prevent an opposition boycott aimed at triggering new elections.
He left the party in January 2024. The “Democracy, Law and Order” party currently ranks fifth, with 1% of respondents stating they would vote for it.
National Democratic Pole Alliance
Slogan: Faith, homeland, sovereignty—in action.
Founded in May 2020, the party mostly consists of members of Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sassoun), a group of Nagorno-Karabakh war veterans known for storming a police station in Yerevan in July 2016, calling for an uprising against the government and taking hostages.
Two police officers were killed during the crisis. The alliance nominated Varuzhan Avetisyan, who was convicted over the 2016 events, as its candidate for prime minister.
The party’s platform is based on the principle of legal succession from the First Republic of Armenia, including what it describes as the restoration of Armenia’s territorial integrity, “including Artsakh,” and a reassessment of the Soviet period as an “occupation.”
The National Democratic Pole Alliance is currently below the electoral threshold as of 22 May.
Reformist Party
Slogan: Security and development.
The party is led by Vagharshak Harutyunyan, who held senior positions in Armenia’s security structures from 1991 to 2000, including as Minister of Defense.
Under Pashinyan, he briefly served as chief advisor in 2020 and was subsequently reappointed Minister of Defense later that year.
He subsequently served as Armenia’s Ambassador to Russia from 2022 until his recall in 2024. The party was founded in 2016 by Vahan Babayan, a former MP from the Prosperous Armenia party.
But in 2017, Babayan supported Sargsyan and the then-ruling Republican Party. They seek the adoption of a new national security concept and, through constitutional amendments, limiting the prime minister’s tenure to a single term.
As of 22 May, the Reformist Party is currently below the electoral threshold.