Elections to the National Assembly (parliament) of Armenia in 2026

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In June 2026, Armenia will hold regular elections to the National Assembly of Armenia. Even before the vote date was announced, parties announced their intention to participate in the elections in order to change the current political situation in the country. The participants and features of Armenia's electoral system are described in the "Caucasian Knot" report.

The regular elections to the unicameral parliament of Armenia – the National Assembly of the ninth convocation – will be held on June 7, 2026. The date is indicated in the decree signed on February 6 by President Vahagn Khachaturyan.

Parties or party blocs may submit electronic applications to the Central Election Commission to obtain an account until April 23, 2026.

From April 13 to 23, parties and electoral blocs submit documents to the Central Election Commission for registration. Electoral list registration takes place from April 23 to May 3. Candidates for deputy included on the electoral lists must submit a declaration of property and income to the Central Election Commission by May 13.

The election campaign period is from May 8 to June 5. June 6 is the "day of silence" ².

Who is elected in Armenia?

According to the Constitution of Armenia, deputies of the National Assembly are elected by a proportional system from party lists for a term of five years. The last parliamentary elections were held on June 20, 2021.

A person who has reached the age of twenty-five, has been a citizen of Armenia for the past four years, has permanently resided in the republic, and speaks Armenian may be elected to the National Assembly of Armenia.

The minimum number of deputies is 101, but may increase due to additional mandates (for example, for national minorities and to ensure balance). Following the 2021 elections, the eighth parliament had 107 members of parliament. ³.

Voting is taking place according to party lists at polling stations in Armenia and abroad (subject to the availability of appropriate polling stations). Thirteen electoral districts will be created for the elections.

Which parties intend to participate in the elections?

Even before the exact date was set, Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party and second president Robert Kocharyan's opposition parliamentary bloc "Armenia" announced their participation. The ARF Dashnaktsutyun also announced its intention to participate in the upcoming elections as part of the Hayastan (Armenia) opposition bloc.

The Armenian National Congress of first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, ⁵, Wings of Unity with former Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan, New Force with former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan, and Bright Armenia with its leader Edmon Marukyan intend to participate in the elections.

The Hayakve movement announced its intention to participate in the parliamentary elections as a party called "Armenian Voice" ⁶.

The "Our Way" political movement and the "Strong Armenia" party, founded on January 18, 2026, have nominated businessman Samvel Karapetyan as a candidate for prime minister. ⁷.

The "Prosperous Armenia" party of oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan and the "Mother Armenia" party of Andranik Tevanyan have announced their joint participation in the parliamentary elections. The Democratic Alternative party, led by political scientist Suren Surenyants, also joined this alliance. ⁸.

The parties declared the need to protect the country's interests and the problems facing its citizens. According to analysts, the key contenders in the elections will be the parties of Nikol Pashinyan, Robert Kocharyan, and Samvel Karapetyan.

Observers and Transparency

According to the Electoral Code of Armenia, public organizations and parties may send observers to polling stations. They may be present during voting and ballot counting, record violations, and file complaints.

The law also provides for the participation of international observers. In previous elections, Armenia traditionally invited missions from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the Parliamentary Council of Europe (PACE), and international and regional organizations. In Armenia, video surveillance at polling stations, electronic voter registration systems, and the online publication of protocols have already been used to increase transparency.

To cover the elections and voting, accreditation applications and a list of media representatives must be submitted to the Central Election Commission from February 7 to May 28, while observer accreditation applications must be submitted by May 3, 2026.

On January 19, 2026, the Central Election Commission of Armenia established the procedure for accrediting local and international election observers. In particular, organizations conducting observation missions and acting jointly may operate under a single name, which must not coincide with the names of parties or political associations. In the case of joint observation, public organizations and foundations submit a joint accreditation application, and observers are accredited based on the joint observer list.

In January 2026, deputies from the ruling Civil Contract party adopted amendments to the Electoral Code in the first reading at an extraordinary session of the National Assembly. The amendments tighten requirements for political neutrality for election observers and require mandatory disclosure of funding sources for observation missions. Opposition parties have spoken out against the amendments, warning that the changes risk undermining independent election observation and weakening confidence in Armenia's electoral process. ¹⁰.

Features of the Electoral System

In May 2021, amendments to the Electoral Code were adopted, according to which the electoral threshold (barrier) for parties is 4% (previously 5%), for blocs of 3 parties - 8% (previously 7%), for blocs of 4 or more parties - 10%. ¹¹.

In Four national minorities are guaranteed seats in the Armenian parliament: Yazidis, Russians, Assyrians, and Kurds. ¹². Each group is allocated one mandate. Parties include "minority" sublists in advance. After the main distribution of mandates, the Central Election Commission determines which party receives a specific minority seat based on the largest remaining vote among the parties that included a candidate from that minority.

The Armenian system strives to ensure a minimum of three political forces in parliament. If, after the D'Hondt distribution of mandates, only one or two parties enter parliament, then the party with the next highest number of votes (even if it does not pass the threshold) can receive mandates to secure a third faction. This is a unique feature of the Armenian model.

After the official announcement of the election results, a parliamentary majority or coalition is formed, a candidate for prime minister is nominated, and a government is formed. To enable parliament to form a government, a mechanism is in place to ensure a stable majority – 52% of the seats in parliament. It was introduced after the 2015 constitutional reform, and until 2021, the required percentage was 54 ¹³.

If no party or bloc achieves 52%, parties can unite after the election to reach the required threshold. If such a coalition fails, the system allows for the winning party's mandates to be added to bring it up to the required percentage. If this is also impossible, a second round is held between the two parties or blocs that received the most votes. The winner receives additional mandates to reach 52% ¹⁴.

Notes

1. https://www.president.am/ru/decrees/item/6304/
2. The Central Electoral Commission has set a schedule of key events for the regular elections to the National Assembly//www.elections.am, 09.02.2026.
3. http://www.parliament.am/deputies.php?sel=factions&lang=rus
4. ARF Dashnaktsutyun to Run in Elections as Bloc // Armenia Today, 13.02.2026.
5. ANC Announces Run for 2026 Elections and Prime Minister // Armenia Today, 26.12.2025.
6. Ayakve Movement Announces Intention to Run for Parliament // Armenia Today, 16.02.2026.
7. Samvel Karapetyan is the Prime Minister's candidate from the Strong Armenia party // Armenian News, 12.02.2026.
8. "The opposition wants to come to power by creating a coalition after the elections" - Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament // JAMnews, 18.02.2026.
9. The Central Electoral Commission has set a schedule of the main events for holding the regular elections to the National Assembly // www.elections.am, 09.02.2026.
10. The Armenian Parliament adopted amendments to the Electoral Code in the first reading, the opposition called them anti-state // Armenian News, January 23, 2026.
11. The Armenian Parliament unanimously adopted amendments to the Electoral Code // ARKA.am, May 7, 2021.
12. The Central Election Commission of Armenia published data on four national minorities whose representatives can be candidates for parliament // Armenpress, February 19, 2026.
13. Amendments to the Electoral Code dated May 7, 2021 http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=7640&lang=rus
14. Ibid