Armenia will hold its next parliamentary elections on June 7. They are of crucial importance for determining the future of the country’s domestic politics, foreign policy orientation, and peace process with Azerbaijan.
On the foreign policy front, Armenia has distanced itself from Russia while creating stronger ties with the EU. After it lost the Second Karabakh War and was confronted with the forced displacement of Karabakh Armenians, current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan invested a lot of political capital in a negotiated peace agreement with Azerbaijan and a normalization process with Turkey. The outcome of these elections will shape how the government in Yerevan further navigates its relationships with Baku, Moscow, and Brussels.
Domestically, Armenian society is approaching the election in a state of growing polarization. There is widespread disillusionment
with the reform agenda of Civil Contract, the ruling party, and with Prime Minister Pashinyan’s commitment to modernizing and democratizing the country. Yet the absence of a credible democratic opposition has left many voters, especially young Armenians, without a compelling alternative, producing a largely undecided electorate. The ruling party is framing the vote as a choice between war and peace – a strategy that is deepening polarization and shifting attention away from the socioeconomic questions that matter far more to most of society.
The elections are also taking place against the backdrop of unprecedented Russian interference, including financial support for opposition candidates, trade blackmail, and political pressure against Armenia’s rapprochement with the EU. Russia is deploying its full range of hybrid pressure to bring down Civil Contract and Pashinyan.
We invite you to join us for an online discussion following the vote to examine what is at stake for Armenian democracy and the EU-Armenia relationship, and how the results could shape the peace process with Azerbaijan.
Speakers:
Vardine Grigoryan, Program Manager, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office
Artur Papyan, Co-founder, CyberHUB-AM
Stefan Meister, Head of Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, DGAP
Moderator:
Anastasia Pociumban, Research Fellow, Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, DGAP
The discussion will be held in English. Please register here.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining via Zoom. Information related to data processing is available at https://dgap.org/en/zoom.
This event is organized by DGAP’s Eastern Partnership Think Tank Network with the support of the European Commission.