Armenia’s election campaign, which will culminate in voting on June 7, 2026, has already gone down in history as one of the most aggressive in the country’s modern era. Although 19 political forces are formally competing for seats in the National Assembly, the real contest has unfolded between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party and three opposition blocs: Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance, Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party, and Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia party. In this tense atmosphere, discussion of the country’s future has been almost entirely replaced by personal attacks.

The ruling party has built its campaign around the concept of a “Real Armenia” and the preservation of a fragile peace. Pashinyan promises an economic breakthrough through sustained GDP growth, the creation of tens of thousands of jobs, and the implementation of major international projects. However, the party’s image has been tarnished by scandals involving the use of administrative resources, including allegations that schoolchildren have been drawn into campaign activities. As Daniel Ioannisyan, head of the Informed Citizens organization, notes:

“We have documented cases of voter coercion and vote-buying by both the government and the opposition, as well as signs of non-transparent campaign financing”.

Strong Armenia and Prosperous Armenia are campaigning with similar promises of “guaranteed peace”, supplemented by generous social pledges. The team of billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who is currently under house arrest, promises multi-million-dram payments and apartments for families with newborn children, while anti-corruption agencies continue to document cases of election-related bribery linked to the party. The situation is further complicated by major investigations: authorities are seeking to confiscate assets worth tens of billions of drams from oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan, while the second candidate on his party list was recently arrested on charges of spying for Russia.

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and his Armenia Alliance have focused their campaign on protecting Armenian statehood, which they argue is being undermined by the current government. Facing prosecutorial efforts to confiscate his family’s assets, Kocharyan does not deny the importance of peace but challenges Pashinyan’s approach:

“Peace cannot depend on one person — neither me, nor him, nor Aliyev”.

Analyzing the widespread public demand for stability, Mikael Zolyan of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center emphasizes:

“The comparison with Georgian Dream’s strategy is telling: Armenia’s ruling party, just as Georgia’s government did in 2024, is campaigning under the slogan ‘No War! Choose Peace!’ It works — but only until voters start asking what has actually been done to make peace irreversible”.

Instead of debating concrete policy proposals, the campaign has devolved into an uncompromising war of kompromat and mutual accusations. Human rights activist Artur Sakunts offers a harsh assessment:

“Judicial independence and the strengthening of democracy should have been the central themes of the election debate. Instead, the dominant message has become who must defeat whom — and often by means far removed from the rule of law”.

The authorities openly describe the opposition as a “three-headed party of war”, publishing documents that allegedly reveal preparations for a coup attempt. Pashinyan has threatened his opponents with criminal prosecution, directly reminding Kocharyan of the tragic events of March 1, 2008:

“You are a three-headed party of war. On the border, you did not fire a single shot, but you fired dozens of times in different settlements across Armenia... Robert Kocharyan should be in prison. The March 1 case has been solved one hundred percent”.

The opposition has responded with equally radical rhetoric. Kocharyan has publicly mocked the prime minister’s statements:

“He keeps shouting that he will imprison people, confiscate property, and that half of Armenia has become foreign agents”.

Disinformation and manipulation have also become central features of the campaign. Government opponents have actively spread claims that the authorities secretly agreed to allow the return of 300,000 Azerbaijanis to Armenia, reinforcing these allegations with alarming AI-generated videos featuring mosques and warnings about the loss of national identity. Pashinyan has repeatedly denied such claims:

“The three-headed party of war is spreading yet another lie. Karapetyan’s team is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting this narrative. Such an issue has never existed on our agenda”.

The situation has been further aggravated by what many in Yerevan view as open Russian interference through economic and political pressure. Moscow has already banned imports of Armenian brandy and Jermuk mineral water, hinted at possible increases in gas prices, and demanded that the Armenian government clarify its position regarding membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). In addition, reports indicate large-scale activity by Russian bot networks.

Against this backdrop, Pashinyan — who declined to attend an EAEU meeting because of the election campaign — has sought to maintain a sovereign position:

“The question of Armenia’s status in the EAEU can only be discussed by Armenia itself. We will patiently answer all questions”.

Ultimately, these elections have become a harsh diagnosis of the country’s political system. Mutual accusations have long crossed the boundaries of normal political debate, while society itself has become hostage to fear. As Mikael Zolyan concludes, Armenia has approached a dangerous threshold:

“Under conditions of extreme polarization, compromising revelations no longer have any effect: accusations against the government do not influence opposition supporters, and accusations against the opposition do not influence government supporters. This campaign is testing not political programs, but society’s political memory”.

 

Journalist

Marine Kharatyan

#ARMENIA

29.05.2026 09:20