Issues of Armenia's future have become central to the election campaign.
Nikol Pashinyan declared that Armenia will never enter into conflict with Moscow, while his main opponents in the parliamentary elections focused on the country's future and the security of its residents. As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the promises of the four main political forces participating in Armenia's parliamentary elections focused on reducing poverty, creating new jobs, increasing pensions, and increasing GDP. Analysts believe most of these promises are simply populism. On May 21, Nikol Pashinyan, head of the ruling Civil Contract party, spoke to voters about Armenia's successes under his leadership and criticized the former government and oligarchs. Gagik Tsarukyan accused the country's leadership of pressuring the opposition, Robert Kocharyan called the government's policy aggressive, and Samvel Karapetyan focused on Pashinyan's squabbles with Karabakh refugees.Elections to the National Assembly of Armenia will be held on June 7. According to analysts, the parties of Samvel Karapetyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and former President Robert Kocharyan will be key competitors in the elections. Samvel Karapetyan's "Strong Armenia," along with Robert Kocharyan's "Armenia" bloc and Gagik Tsarukyan's "Prosperous Armenia" party, is one of the most pro-Russian parties in the Armenian parliamentary elections. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report titled "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia."
Over the past 24 hours, election campaigning in Armenia has continued to focus on three key areas: the country's foreign policy choices, security and war, and the confrontation between the "new government" and the "former." "Caucasian Knot" analyzed the publications on Facebook* of representatives of the ruling Civil Contract party and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, as well as opposition forces - Strong Armenia, the Alliance Armenia and Prosperous "Armenia".
Nikol Pashinyan stated that there is no crisis in relations with Moscow
In posts on his social media page, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan indicated that the ruling party "Civil Contract" is campaigning in Nor Nork today. He also shared a photo of a crowded square in Arshavat, where the ruling party's campaigning ended on the evening of May 21. He also shared a video of a press briefing.
Yerevan will never enter into conflict with Moscow. Individual problems in relations do not indicate a crisis between the two countries, Armenia Today quotes Pashinyan as saying during a briefing. According to Pashinyan, in both Russia and Armenia, "there are many people who want a crisis" in relations between the two countries. "We are not going to argue with Russia, much less fight, because that's not serious. Russia is a superpower that must be treated with respect, and we do," Pashinyan noted.
"Strong Armenia" and Samvel Karapetyan
Samvel Karapetyan's campaign is built around the theme of "national dignity," criticism of concessions to Azerbaijan, and accusations that the government is losing sovereignty.
"The people don't want 300,000 Azerbaijanis to be transported to Armenia. The people want 300,000 jobs. The people want to have "A prime minister we can be proud of, not a leader who will make his people suffer," his words are quoted on his Facebook page*.
We have never discussed and are not discussing the issue of settling 300,000 Azerbaijanis in Armenia, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on April 30. According to him, Armenia and Azerbaijan have not discussed the issue of the return of Armenians to Karabakh, Baku, and other places for some time. He added that discussing such an issue from both sides has a provocative effect on the current political process and increases tensions, News.Am wrote on April 30.
. The publications of the party's supporters include theses about the need to "restore a strong state," protect traditional alliances, and revise foreign policy.
The Kremlin is placing its bets on Karapetyan, but by law he cannot participate in the elections, Armenian political scientists previously pointed out. Samvel Karapetyan, according to Armenian law, cannot become the head of government, since he holds Russian and Cypriot passports.
Alliance Armenia and Robert Kocharyan recalled relations with Azerbaijan
Robert Kocharyan and his allies continue to focus on security issues and relations with Russia. During visits to border villages, representatives of Alliance Armenia promised 60,000 drams (about $163) in monthly payments to children born in villages bordering Azerbaijan. villages
Publications and speeches emphasize that the current government has "weakened Armenia," worsened the country's position in the South Caucasus, and jeopardized national interests.
"When making a choice at the voting booth, imagine that you are choosing the person who will negotiate with Aliyev tomorrow. What kind of negotiator do you need?" the alliance representative is quoted as saying on social media.
Ishkhan Saghatelyan indicated on his social media page that Pashinyan is trying to present the activities of opposition forces' election headquarters as illegal, is imprisoning opposition members on fabricated charges, and is attempting to reorganize the opposition's activities. "Against this backdrop, observation missions in Armenia continue to remain silent, fail to respond to this lawlessness, and encourage Pashinyan's illegal actions, creating a new dictatorship in the region that is the enemy of democracy," he said, calling on the opposition to unite to create real mechanisms to counter these steps and to ensure legitimate oversight of the elections.
Prosperous Armenia and Gagik Tsarukyan
Gagik Tsarukyan has been focusing primarily on social issues in the past 24 hours: living standards, economic difficulties, business support, and social stability. The party's campaign is noticeably less geopolitical than that of other opposition forces.
"People today are tired of disagreements, threats, and empty promises. We all want a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Armenia," Tsarukyan said following the campaign in Gyumri.
Today, the most prominent topic of the Armenian election campaign remains the country's future foreign policy and the assessment of the consequences of the Karabakh conflict.
The ruling team is building its campaign around stability and a European vector, while the opposition reminds people of the security of residents of border regions, asking questions about Armenia's future in the context of relations with Azerbaijan and the country's security guarantees.
We have updated the applications on Android and IOS! We would be grateful for criticism and development ideas both in Google Play/App Store and on KU pages in social networks. Without installing a VPN, you can read us on Telegram (in Dagestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia, with a VPN). Using a VPN, you can continue reading "Caucasian Knot" on the website as usual, and on social networks: Facebook*, Instagram*, "VKontakte", "Odnoklassniki" and X. You can watch the "Caucasian Knot" video on YouTube. Send messages to +49 157 72317856 on WhatsApp*, to the same number on Telegram, or write to @Caucasian_Knot.
* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.