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Armenia's 2026 election: Where next for the country?

The Republic of Armenia is in the South Caucasus, between Turkey, Iran, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In 1920 the Soviet Republic of Armenia was founded, later becoming a full republic of the Soviet Union. In 1991 Armenia gained independence, although the final delimitation of its borders is still to be resolved.

In parliamentary elections held in June 2026, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party won with almost half of all votes, taking 64 seats in the 105-seat parliament.

In a speech on 8 June 2026, Prime Minister Pashinyan said that the people of Armenia had spoken and they had stood up for the state, for independence, for the future and for peace.

The Prime Minister’s push for constitutional reform, the diversification of Armenian foreign policy, including strengthened relations with the EU and the US, peace with Azerbaijan and the normalisation of relations with Turkey is, therefore, set to continue.

As a result, Armenia’s relationship with Russia looks set to become more fragmented and challenging. In what has been labelled by the European Union (EU) as a campaign of “economic coercion”, Russia has imposed trade restrictions on Armenia and threatened to terminate the Russian supply of oil and gas to the country if it continues to press ahead with closer EU relations. The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which brings together Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in an economic union, has threatened to suspend Armenian participation citing threats to the economic security of the remaining member states. Russia has also recalled its Ambassador to Armenia for “consultations”.

Ongoing Russian trade restrictions led the EU to announce a €52 million package of support to Armenia in June 2026. That financial assistance will form part of a broader package of support to Armenia, worth €288 million, that will also include trade facilitation measures and “solidarity measures” intended to strengthen Armenia’s economic resilience.

Responding to suggestions of Russian economic pressure on Armenia, Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty said the UK Government will “work closely with international partners to ensure Armenia is robust and able to pursue its own future”. The UK Government previously announced in October 2025 that it was upgrading its bilateral relationship with Armenia, along with Azerbaijan, to that of a strategic partnership.

In the longer term, however, many analysts consider it unlikely that there will be a significant break in relations between Russia and Armenia, largely because of the benefits this cooperation brings. The pro-Russian Strong Armenia Alliance and the Armenia Alliance also collectively received 33.3% of the vote (41 seats) in the recent election, ensuring continued Russian influence in Armenian politics.