Karabakh voters shared their political preferences ahead of the Armenian elections.

Karabakh displaced persons eligible to vote in Armenia are divided on who to vote for in the June 7 parliamentary elections. Some refugees surveyed by the "Caucasian Knot" are prepared to vote for pro-Russian forces, despite not harboring any sympathies for Russia; others have decided not to vote.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, all internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh must obtain Armenian citizenship if they want to vote in the National Assembly elections, as Karabakh passports expired in 2025. Refugees claim that they had the right to participate in the elections before, but now their rights have been violated.

Up to 25,000 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh have the right to vote in the upcoming elections in Armenia: according to the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, up to 37,000 internally displaced persons have received citizenship, 12,000 of whom are minors.

Several thousand refugees who have not accepted Armenian citizenship have requested to be included on the voter lists, but this has not yet been achieved. According to lawyer Roman Yeritsyan, the Court of Appeals granted the Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs' petition, ruling that "the issue of including Artsakh (Karabakh) residents with passport code 070 on the voter lists should be considered by an administrative court, not a civil court."

"Administrative and civil courts can refer cases to each other, and the final decision on jurisdiction can be transferred to the Court of Cassation after the elections. As a result, Artsakh residents risk losing the opportunity to exercise their right to vote." "More than 500 residents of Artsakh have already appealed to the courts demanding the restoration of their voting rights, and over 5,000 people have filed corresponding applications with the Ministry of Internal Affairs requesting to be included on the voter lists," Yeritsyan told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Among the Karabakh displaced persons eligible to vote surveyed by the "Caucasian Knot," many have already decided who they will vote for on June 7. The survey is not representative and reflects only the personal opinions of those surveyed.

Gago Sarukhanyan, a 37-year-old displaced person from Nagorno-Karabakh, is the father of four minors and earns a living as a private truck driver. He and his family became Armenian citizens to be eligible for the state housing program for refugees. According to the man, he has not yet made a final decision, but is “choosing between three parties.”

“These are the parties of Robert Kocharyan, Samvel Karapetyan, and Gagik Tsarukyan. I have attended their meetings with voters, and each of them offers social development for Armenia. I think this is a decisive factor for ordinary people,” Sarukhanyan said.

The sanctions that Russia threatens Armenia with if its pro-Western political course continues influenced his choice. “Russia could organize a blockade of Armenia, so the Armenian leadership’s desire to distance itself from Russia worries many Armenians,” the man explained.

59-year-old Naira Avanesyan from Stepanakert is a housewife and cares for her grandchildren. She received Armenian citizenship in 2025. The woman said she had "definitely" made her choice.

"I will vote for Samvel Karapetyan, since his party platform states that jobs will be created. Over the past few years, I've worked wherever possible, but the salaries were always low, and sometimes they weren't even paid. I hope that jobs will be created, that I can find a job with a stable income and not be a burden to my children. I believe in Samvel Karapetyan, after all, he invested heavily in Nagorno-Karabakh in his time, and he's also invested heavily in Armenia," the woman said.

31-year-old Nushik Martirosyan from Nagorno-Karabakh is an economist by profession and currently works in the packaging department of a manufacturing plant in Yerevan. She also has two sons. After leaving Karabakh, her family was registered in the Syunik region, but they were forced to move to Yerevan due to work.

“We received Armenian citizenship last year. We’re supposed to go to Syunik to vote, but I don’t know for sure whether we’ll go or not. But my husband and I decided that if we go to vote, we’ll choose any party other than the ruling party, because we don’t trust any force,” the young woman said.

Tigran Grigoryan, 28, an unmarried mid-level healthcare worker from Stepanakert, is confident he’ll vote for now. The young man admitted that he appreciates Armenia's rapprochement with Europe and the development of the IT sector, "if we put aside the refugees' personal grievances over the loss of Artsakh and social problems."

"I'm not a supporter of the current government, but I don't like the opposition forces either. During the pre-election period, many things can be promised based on the needs of the population. But I believe it's right that Armenia should develop and build good relations with neighboring countries," he said.

Tigran Saradyan, 61, an Armenian citizen, moved with his family to Nagorno-Karabakh under the resettlement program in 2006. Until 2020, his family lived in the city of Shushi, and until the fall of 2023, in Stepanakert. The man stated that he would not vote for the current government, but he also would not vote for opposition parties considered pro-Russian.

"I consider myself an Artsakh (Karabakh) citizen. I do not intend to vote for the parties of Kocharyan, Karapetyan, or Tsarukyan, as I consider them pro-Russian. Russia is not a friendly country; it is pushing Armenia toward Turkey, as it has done for centuries." "I will go to the polls so that my ballot won't be used for fraud, but I will choose the 'Against All' party because I am against everyone," Saradyan said.

Vrezh Gasparyan, a 49-year-old construction worker from Stepanakert, has two grandchildren. He stated that he will choose the party that strives for good relations with Russia.

"My son, his wife, and I received Armenian citizenship at the beginning of this year. I won't say who I'll vote for, but I prefer the force that is not against Russia. Not because I love Russia—I simply understand that Russia will not let Armenia go, and will do everything in its power to hold on to it, and if an economic blockade doesn't work, it will organize a war." "It's not just me who understands this, but all the people of Artsakh, because we've seen this before," the man said.

35-year-oldSanasar Khachatryan from Stepanakert refused to say who he would vote for. However, he made it clear that he would not vote for the ruling party. "Voting for the current government after the surrender of Artsakh (the self-designation of Nagorno-Karabakh) would be a repeated betrayal of the people of Artsakh," he said.

22-year-old Narine Safaryan chooses who to vote for based on the pressing interests of Karabakh displaced persons.

“We were happy in Artsakh, but with the arrival of the current government, this happiness was taken away from us. The Artsakh issue should remain part of Armenia's state agenda, but instead we are insulted, humiliated, and arrested for voicing opinions and questions. I will vote for the party that offers real solutions to the problems of displaced persons,” the girl said.

Angelina Grigoryan from Stepanakert recently turned 19. She expressed regret that her first election “is taking place in such a difficult situation.” “I haven't decided who I'll vote for. I'm not thrilled with the election campaign yet: couldn't it have been conducted in a more civilized manner?” "My sympathies lean toward the Wings of Unity party—its leader seems like a fairly serious person to me; he campaigned without intrigue or squabbles," the girl said.

Armen Petrosyan, a pensioner from Stepanakert, compared the current situation in Armenia to the period after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. "Armenia is surrounded by the enemy, economically dependent on Azerbaijan and Russia, and Europe is playing cat and mouse. The government is threatening the people with a new war if things aren't done their way. Everything is just as it was here, and I foresee a blockade of Armenia." "People also want peace, good relations with Azerbaijanis and Turks, but people in Armenia imagine this world as it was in Soviet times, and they don't understand that it won't be like that again," the man said. He added that he hadn't decided on a choice, but would definitely not vote "for either the previous government or the current one."

Aro Grigoryan, a 41-year-old displaced person from Karabakh, works as a driver in Armenia. He was only able to find employment after receiving Armenian citizenship, and now he wants to vote for the party that is ready to provide him with a stable income in the future.

"I don't interfere in politics; what's important to me is that my family is provided for." "Therefore, I will choose the force that seems reliable to me for the future," the man said, declining to name the party he plans to vote for.

He noted that not all Karabakh residents plan to vote for the main opposition forces. "We, the people of Artsakh (Karabakh), communicate with each other a lot. I will say this: not only the current government, but also the forces that were once in power are responsible for the loss of Artsakh - and therefore I am confident that the majority of Artsakh residents who have the right to vote in Armenia will simply not go to the polls," Grigoryan concluded.

Pensioner Mais Grigoryan, a veteran of the Karabakh war, holds Armenian citizenship. According to the elderly man, he will not go to the polls because he has not heard from any of the political forces participating in the elections that "the lost Armenian lands will be returned."