Armenian prime minister denies preparations for fresh elections

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed suggestions that the country’s authorities are preparing to hold new elections.

“The ruling party’s initiative to introduce a residency requirement for participation in voting does not mean that early elections are being prepared,” the prime minister noted.

According to him, the proposed changes had been put forward even before the most recent regular elections. However, Pashinyan said he opposed introducing amendments to electoral legislation immediately before a vote.

This latest statement comes in the wake of the June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections, which reaffirmed Pashinyan’s leadership amid Armenia’s shifting geopolitical landscape.

In those polls—the first regular parliamentary vote since 2017—Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party secured about 49.8% of the vote and 64 seats in the National Assembly, delivering a working majority but falling short of the two-thirds threshold for major constitutional changes. 

The election featured a turnout of nearly 59% and took place against a backdrop of efforts to finalise a peace agreement with Azerbaijan and reduce reliance on Russia in favour of closer Western ties, with international observers noting alleged Russian interference aimed at bolstering pro-Moscow opposition forces.

By Jeyhun Aghazada