Armenians are voting today in parliamentary elections that will determine the composition of the country’s next National Assembly and, ultimately, its next government. The vote marks the first regularly scheduled parliamentary election since 2017, following two snap elections triggered by political crises in 2018 and 2021. It also comes at a pivotal moment for the country, as Armenia continues to navigate the aftermath of the 2020 war and the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, ongoing negotiations with Azerbaijan, and fundamental questions about its security, foreign policy and future direction.
Today, June 7, Armenians are voting in parliamentary elections that will determine the composition of the country’s next National Assembly and, ultimately, its next government. EVN Report’s editors Maria Titizian and Roubina Margossian talk about some of the major narratives that shaped the campaign.
Ներսես Կոպալյանի հետ զրուցել ենք քվեարկության օրվա առաջին կեսի մասնակցության ցուցանիշների, Ազգային ժողովի հնարավոր կազմի, ինչպես նաև Ռուսաստանից նախաձեռնված՝ հայաստանյան նախընտրական շրջանին առնչվող, սակայն, իրականում, ավելի հեռահար քաղաքական նպատակներ հետապնդող քայլերի մասին։
Live Updates
6 p.m.: The Central Electoral Commission reports that as of 5 p.m., 48.92% or 1,224,957 people have cast their ballot. This is the highest turnout recorded in the past three national elections:
2017 – 1,317,936 (50.93%)
2018 – 1,025,002 (39.54%)
2021 – 989.972 (38.17%)
The breakdown by regions is as follows:
Yerevan: 48.52%
Syunik: 55.36%
Vayots Dzor: 54.15%
Tavush: 53.27%
Aragatsotn: 51.13%
Kotayk: 51.01%
Lori: 49.77%
Ararat: 48.43%
Gegharkunik: 46.86%
Shirak: 46.23%
Armavir: 44.8%
5 p.m.: Armenia Interior Ministry reports that its operational command center had received 57 election-related calls through its emergency line and dedicated election hotline.
Authorities documented 19 cases of repeat voting, 15 violations of ballot secrecy, two cases involving the obstruction of voting rights, one instance of vote-buying, and one case involving the possession of a bladed weapon at a polling station. All have been referred to preliminary investigation bodies and 14 individuals have been detained.
A further 198 reports of alleged violations are currently under review. Authorities are also monitoring election-related publications in the press and on social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Migration and Citizenship Service reported that 1,650 people applied to be added to supplementary voter lists, while 916 individuals received temporary identity documents to allow them to vote in their respective communities.
4:02 p.m.: Armenia’s Independent Observer Mission says that as of 2 p.m. it has recorded 536 election-day violations at 387 polling stations across the country after monitoring roughly 71% of all polling stations nationwide.
Speaking at a briefing, the mission said most violations were procedural in nature, though observers also documented concerns related to ballot secrecy, campaigning inside polling stations, voter monitoring, and the presence of unauthorized individuals.
The mission reported technical problems with electronic voter registration devices, including faulty receipts and discrepancies between electronic and paper voter lists. At one polling station, voting was reportedly suspended for about 40 minutes due to such issues.
Observers also raised concerns about the transparency of some ballot envelopes, warning that under certain lighting conditions they could pose risks to ballot secrecy. The mission said it had filed complaints with the Central Electoral Commission and the Prosecutor General’s Office.
According to the observers, around 20% of recorded violations involved Election Commission members and another 20% involved party representatives. Representatives of the Strong Armenia alliance accounted for 41% of attributed violations, followed by Civil Contract representatives at 26%.
The mission also reported widespread instances of campaign materials, including badges, hats and shirts, being displayed inside polling stations despite election-day restrictions.
The mission further criticized what it described as misleading election-related information circulated by the Hayakve initiative, several Russian-language Telegram channels and a CIS election observer, whom it accused of openly campaigning for one political force on social media.
3:35 p.m.: The Human Rights Defender’s Office reports that, as of 3 p.m., it had received 59 calls concerning alleged human rights issues related to the electoral process. According to the Office, 15 of those cases were resolved with its intervention, while the remaining reports either fall outside its mandate or do not require immediate action.
3:30 p.m.: Armenian police detained three people on suspicion of vote buying in the Shirak region after receiving reports that party representatives were distributing bribes to voters outside a polling station in Gyumri, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said. Authorities said voter lists were recovered at the scene, and an investigation is underway.
3 p.m.: The Central Electoral Commission reports that as of 2 p.m., 33.84% or 847,226 people have cast their ballot. This is the highest turnout recorded in the past four national elections:
2017 – 865,884 (33.46%)
2018 – 636,055 (24.53%)
2021 – 695,626 (26.82%)
As before, turnout in Yerevan, at 33.38%, is very close to the nationwide total. Turnout in the regions is as follows:
Syunik: 39.02%
Tavush: 38.87%
Vayots Dzor: 37.81%
Kotayk: 35.95%
Aragatsotn: 34.99%
Lori: 34.96%
Ararat: 32.81%
Gegharkunik: 32.29%
Shirak: 31.57%
Armavir: 30.39%
2:30 p.m.: The General Prosecutor’s Office reports that since February 2026, they have received and processed a total of 293 reports of alleged election-related criminal offenses. Of these, 174 resulted in the opening of criminal proceedings, while 297 individuals have been charged. So far, 14 criminal cases, involving 42 defendants have been referred to court with indictments.
The Prosecutor’s office also said it has asked the Central Electoral Commission to lift the immunity of 12 parliamentary candidates in order to initiate criminal proceedings and seek their detention. The CEC has approved 11 of those requests, while one remains under consideration.
2:17 p.m.: The Investigative Committee reported that an authorized representative of the Strong Armenia alliance was detained after allegedly filming ballots at a polling station in Armenia’s Ararat region.
According to investigators, a voter received ballot papers and entered a voting booth but later told election officials that the voting receipt had been left inside the booth and could not be found.
The Election Commission chair entered the booth and searched for the receipt. During the inspection, the Strong Armenia representative allegedly approached the booth and filmed ballots, as well as a box designated for unused ballots.
A criminal case has been opened on suspicion of violating the secrecy of the vote.
2:00 p.m.: As of 2 p.m., Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said its election hotline had received 29 reports of suspected election-related violations.
Authorities said six cases of attempted double voting and five alleged violations of ballot secrecy had been referred to investigative bodies. Six individuals have been detained in connection with those incidents.
The Ministry added that another 121 reports of alleged violations are currently under review. Officials are also monitoring election-related content published in the media and on social media platforms.
2 p.m.: The Central Electoral Commission reports that 71 domestic media outlets and 180 foreign and international journalists have been accredited to cover Armenia’s parliamentary elections. By comparison, just 49 foreign journalists were accredited for the 2021 vote, marking a more than threefold increase in international media presence. The surge reflects the unprecedented rise in interest in Armenia amid the country’s evolving geopolitical landscape and widespread attention to allegations of foreign interference in the election.
1:42 p.m.: Armenia’s Justice Ministry reports that of the 922 individuals currently under house arrest in Armenia, 869 are eligible to vote. More than half, 434 individuals, have expressed intent to vote, with 205 having already cast their ballots by 12:30 p.m. These individuals are escorted to polling stations by law enforcement.
Among these are at least high-profile figures, namely Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire and the de facto leader of the Strong Armenia alliance, and Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan of Shirak, who has been sentenced last year to two-years imprisonment on charges of publicly calling for seizing power.
1:18 p.m.: Independent Observer, the second-largest local domestic election observation mission, reported that by 10:30 a.m. its roughly 700 observers had visited 860 polling stations, representing about 43% of all precincts nationwide.
According to the mission, 81% of polling stations had no issues related to setup or equipment, it noted lighting problems at 4% of stations, issues with informational posters at 4.5%, and other setup-related concerns at 11%. It also reported that 98% of polling station cameras were functioning properly.
It identified a technical issue at one polling station (9/51), where the electronic voter registration system printed receipts with discrepancies in the sequence numbers. The mission said the problem does not affect the integrity of the vote but creates additional work for election officials.
It also reported that at some polling stations, voting envelopes were more transparent than intended, potentially compromising ballot secrecy. It suggested this may be due to different production batches being used across various polling stations and said the issue was not widespread.
It also reported instances of proxy representatives wearing clothing or accessories bearing campaign symbols, most commonly badges associated with the ruling Civil Contract party, and shirts linked to other political forces. Independent Observer said it is taking steps to ensure that these individuals either remove the items in question or leave, change and return.
1:17 p.m.: The Investigative Committee reports that a representative of the Strong Armenia alliance was arrested after allegedly attempting to vote twice at a polling station in the Gegharkunik region. Election officials said an electronic voter verification device detected the attempted duplicate vote and printed a receipt indicating an “attempted double vote.”
12 p.m.: The Central Electoral Commission reports a turnout of 14.48% (362,657) as of 11 a.m.
It is the highest turnout in over a decade. The three most recent parliamentary elections had the following turnout:
2017 – 344,714 (13.32%)
2018 – 201,250 (7.76%)
2021 – 316,291 (12.21%)
The CEC reported that turnout in Yerevan, 14.46%, is nearly equal to the national total.
In the regions, turnout fluctuated. They are listed below from highest to lowest:
Tavush: 17.84%
Syunik: 17.55%
Kotayk: 16.02%
Vayots Dzor: 15.82%
Aragatsotn: 14.79%
Lori: 14.44%
Ararat: 14.33%
Gegharkunik: 12.98%
Armavir: 12.63%
Shirak: 12.6%
11:30 a.m.: Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan, who heads the party’s electoral list, said the unprecedented voter turnout reflected public demand for change.
Speaking to reporters after casting his ballot, Tsarukyan said that voters were seeking political change after years of frustration.
Asked whether the opposition had a realistic chance of taking power, Tsarukyan responded, “Absolutely.”
He declined to predict how many votes his party would receive but expressed confidence in victory, saying that whichever political force secured the most votes would nominate a candidate for prime minister.
11:30 a.m.: In this Election Day Primer, EVN Report’s editors Maria Titizian and Roubina Margossian talk about some of the major narratives that shaped the campaign.
11:30 a.m: At a press conference, Strong Armenia representative Gohar Meloyan alleged that the party had documented hundreds of procedural, technical and substantive electoral violations, suggesting that certain political forces are trying to improperly interfere with the will of the citizens. She claimed proxy representatives from their alliance had been denied access to several polling stations, and said there were localized power outages, and technical problems. Meloyan also displayed what she said were defective or intentionally defaced ballot papers, specifically highlighting Strong Armenia’s N3 ballot, alleging that they may have been intended to invalidate votes during the final count.
11 a.m.: At a press conference, Central Electoral Commission Chair Vahagn Hovakimyan reported that three Election Commission officials, including two precinct chairs and a secretary, did not show up for duty on Election Day at their assigned stations because they had been arrested amid an ongoing criminal investigation. Hovakimyan said while minor technical issues have occurred in some places, the election is proceeding normally.
10 a.m: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan cast his vote at a polling station in central Yerevan. He then responded to reporters’ questions. Regarding reports of Russian influence operations, he said that “any schemes that do not comply with Armenian law must be assessed by Armenian state institutions” and are “discussed as needed,” adding that after election results, “there will be no need for such a discussion.”
He downplayed tensions with Russia, stating that “these kinds of working-level issues arise constantly,” but is currently being “amplified by certain political forces in Armenia who have an interest in highlighting these tensions.” He said that Armenia cannot be stripped of its EAEU membership and dismissed the idea of holding a referendum on the matter, since Armenia has not formally applied for EU membership. He said EAEU partners are being “tactically unwise” by tarnishing the organization’s image in Armenia.
Narek Karapetyan, leading the list of the opposition alliance Strong Armenia and nephew of its de facto leader Samvel Karapetyan, voted in his native Tashir in northern Armenia. He told reporters that he voted for “major change” and “a country where Armenians are focused on rebuilding their nation rather than tearing each other down, fighting, and fracturing society.” He urged citizens to vote, otherwise “their fate will be decided for them by someone else.” He stated that “no foreign country should meddle in Armenia’s internal politics.”
Catholicos Garegin II also cast his vote and said he voted so that God keeps the Armenian state “unshakable, and blesses our people to overcome these difficult and heavy trials present in our lives, and to build a powerful, secure, safe, law-abiding, and prosperous country.”
8 a.m.: Polls have opened across Armenia in the country’s parliamentary elections. According to the Central Electoral Commission, 2,483,520, citizens are eligible to vote at 2,005 polling stations nationwide. A total of 18 political forces (16 parties and two alliances) are contesting the election, with 2,103 candidates on the ballot. Eight international and 13 domestic observation missions are monitoring the vote and will also observe the counting process after polls close at 8 p.m.
