The main contenders for seats in the Armenian parliament focused on criticizing their opponents.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized the actions of opposition representatives. In his eight years as prime minister, Pashinyan has failed to improve people's lives, leading the country into crisis, his opponents said.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the issue of visa liberalization with the European Union will be resolved in the next two years, Nikol Pashinyan stated today during a meeting with voters. The promises of the four main political forces participating in the parliamentary elections in Armenia concerned reducing poverty, creating new jobs, increasing pensions, and increasing GDP. Analysts believe that most of these promises are simply populism.

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, is one of the most pro-Russian parties in the Armenian parliamentary elections. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia".

Pashinyan Promised Political Progress in Relations with the West

13:00 January 15, 2026
"Trump Route" (TRIPP): A Transport Corridor Through Armenia
"Trump Route" (TRIPP) is a transport corridor project between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan through Armenia, created with the mediation and exclusive rights of the United States for 99 years. It became a key element of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signed in August 2025 in Washington with the participation of President Donald Trump.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated today during meetings with voters that, in addition to visa-free travel with the European Union, a number of other major events are expected in the near future.

"We will soon sign the final agreement on the TRIPP project with the United States, as a result of which Armenia will literally become a crossroads of the world," Pashinyan promised on his Facebook page*.

He also stated that "on May 28 (Republic Day is celebrated in Armenia - Caucasian Knot) people will see a new Armenian army with state-of-the-art weaponry."

Pashinyan accuses his main opponents of pursuing primarily enrichment. "The goal of the three-headed war party is to save the stolen property," he wrote on his social media page.

Pashinyan threatened to transfer the mansion of Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan to state ownership. "They want to save their property, because the only way to save their property is for the state of Armenia to cease to exist. As long as the state of Armenia exists, Gagik Tsarukyan's houses have already begun to be returned to the people," he said during the election campaign in the Shirak region.

According to him, Tsarukyan's house should become a care center for the elderly by 2031. Pashinyan added that the house of opposition politician Karapet Guloyan's son-in-law had previously been transferred to state ownership, Armenia Today reports.

Pashinyan's opponents criticized his performance as prime minister

"Strong Armenia" focused on promising change if it wins. In particular, party representative Narek Karapetyan promised that the party would change "the future of our children," according to the "Strong Armenia" Facebook page*.

Samvel Karapetyan emphasized that the return of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan will be one of the main priorities if he comes to power. He expressed the opinion that the current Armenian authorities could have "helped" the former leaders of Artsakh end up in captivity. "The whole world is laughing at us because our authorities, I suspect, even helped them end up there, even saw them as a danger. "Therefore, this issue will be one of our most important tasks," Armenia Today writes.

The Alliance "Armenia" held a pre-election rally today in Yerevan's Erebuni district.

Former Armenian PresidentRobert Kocharyan questioned the army's combat readiness. "When was the last time you heard about military exercises? The army has been turned into a guard structure. A modern army cannot be like that," he stated on his social media page.

The Alliance "Armenia" stated that the country is in crisis under Pashinyan's rule. "The Alliance "Armenia" has both a political and professional team ready to work day and night to lead the country out of the crisis," the party's page stated.

If it wins the elections, the Alliance "Armenia" promises a large-scale amnesty. "If our team comes to power, a large-scale amnesty will be announced for many criminal cases. The amnesty will also apply to administrative fines and issues related to driver's licenses. After all, the current authorities only persecuted those against whom they could use force, or from whom they heard criticism," Yerevan Today quotes candidate Narek Mantashyan as saying.

Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan was in Etchmiadzin today, according to posts on the party's Facebook page*.

Tsarukyan responded to Pashinyan's threats to "take away" "all the houses," calling them "empty talk."

Tsarukyan believes that Pashinyan is "losing ground." "He has nothing more to say. He's running out of time. I've spoken about this and I can vouch for it. He has no program, nothing. Over the past eight years, he hasn't fulfilled a single promise. He's only said, "Dear people, I'll take this and give it to you." So far, over these eight years, what has he given to the people? What has changed for the people? Debts have piled up, and things have become more difficult for them. What has he done?" News.Am quotes him as saying.

Source: https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/423520