PACE called the Russian interference in the elections in Armenia unprecedented.

The observation mission of PACE assessed the scale of pressure from Russia on Armenia before the parliamentary elections on June 7 as "unprecedented for a member state of the Council of Europe." At the same time, the observers criticized the decision of the Central Election Commission of Armenia to annul the results at three polling stations.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in early July, the Constitutional Court of Armenia rejected the appeals of seven political forces challenging the results of the parliamentary elections on June 7 and upheld the decision of the Central Election Commission regarding the voting results. The elections to the parliament effectively became a referendum on the future of the current government and Armenia's foreign policy course.

The assembly's delegation worked in Armenia as part of an international observation mission together with representatives of the OSCE, the European Parliament, and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report, consisting of 22 pages, was presented by the PACE rapporteur, Swiss politician Damien Cottier.

Unprecedented pressure from Russia

"These elections were marked by foreign interference on a scale that observers described as both 'unprecedented and alarming.' The Russian Federation, in particular, used economic sanctions (embargo on agricultural products and threats to revise gas supplies) and harsh diplomatic rhetoric to sway the election results in favor of opposition or anti-government forces," the report states, which was published on the assembly's website.

The Russian authorities imposed restrictions on the export of flowers, mineral water, and alcohol from Armenia, subjected food products to additional inspections. At the EAEU summit in Astana in May, the leaders of the union demanded that Armenia hold a referendum on choosing between the union and the EU, threatening to suspend membership due to the pro-Western course. On May 27, the Russian authorities announced their intention to revise the terms of gas, oil products, and diamond supplies, and on May 28, announced "temporary restrictions" on additional categories of agricultural goods.

On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared the risks of Armenia's aspirations towards the EU with the risks faced by Ukraine. On May 30, Russia recalled its ambassador in Yerevan for consultations "in connection with the steps of the Armenian leadership towards rapprochement with the European Union." Local and international observers reported organized information campaigns by pro-Russian structures, as well as threats against Armenian citizens and entrepreneurs in Russia – they were promised punitive measures if the ruling party did not suffer defeat.

The report separately notes that public support for the ruling party by Western leaders, including the presidents of the USA and France, as well as high-ranking representatives of the EU, was also viewed by some observers as external interference, albeit without the "huge coercive dimension" characteristic of Russia's actions.

Annulled polling stations and lost mandates

The central dispute after the elections was the decision of the Central Election Commission to invalidate the results at polling stations No. 10/51, 35/65, and 12/13. At two of them, military personnel were allowed to vote after the official closing of the polling stations, while at the third, ballots for the "Prosperous Armenia" party were absent for most of the day.

According to separate calculations, if these votes had been counted, "Prosperous Armenia" could have crossed the four percent threshold, gained mandates, and deprived the ruling party of a majority of three-fifths of the votes. The Central Election Commission stated in a one-line justification that "the annulment of the results at these polling stations did not affect the overall outcome," and refused to schedule a re-vote. The report calls this justification "extremely insufficient," referring to "the significance of its consequences."

"A repeat vote at the relevant polling stations would have been a perfectly acceptable option. It was rejected by the Central Election Commission without serious justification. Such an important decision should be made based on compelling, transparent, and verifiable reasons. Unfortunately, this did not happen," Cottier's words are quoted by JAMnews in a publication dated September 30.

The judicial proceedings on this issue did not lead to a correction of the situation before the parliament was convened – partly due to the narrow circle of individuals entitled to file complaints, and partly due to strict procedural deadlines.

Other issues noted by observers

The report records the abuse of administrative resources: civil servants were coerced to attend rallies of the ruling party, but observers also noted cases of business pressure on employees demanding participation in opposition actions. More than 200 criminal investigations into voter bribery were registered, primarily directed against the opposition, which created a sense of selective law enforcement; at the time of the report's preparation, no convictions had been issued in such cases.

State television and several key private broadcasters demonstrated clear bias in favor of the ruling party and negative coverage of leading opposition forces, while other media consistently criticized the government. Two major opposition television channels lost their terrestrial broadcasting licenses. The campaign was marked by an increase in the use of AI content and deepfakes to discredit political opponents, as well as bot networks and coordinated information operations with foreign involvement.

The inclusion of more than 20,000 recently naturalized migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh in the voter lists was called a "breakthrough," however, about 6,000 applications at that time remained unprocessed, mainly due to bureaucratic reasons, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable people.

The maximum allowed campaign spending for parties is 800 million drams, and private donations are limited to 10 million drams per year. Direct donations from abroad and from corporations are prohibited, however, observers recorded significant undeclared expenses before the official campaign began. Several costly events, including concerts funded by major banks, were viewed as indirect sponsorship of the ruling party's campaign.

PACE recommendations and perception of the report

The assembly suggested that Armenia legally enshrine mandatory re-voting in cases where the fundamental right of any force to be represented in parliament is in question, with clear thresholds and procedures. Among other recommendations are strengthening national capacity to identify and counter Russian information operations and tools of economic pressure, expanding the circle of individuals entitled to appeal electoral disputes, ensuring the independence of electoral commission formation, halting selective criminal prosecution of the opposition, and simplifying the documentation process for migrants.

Representatives of both the ruling party and the opposition quoted only the fragments of the report that were favorable to them. Thus, the vice-speaker of parliament from the "Civil Contract" party, Aik Kondjoryan, emphasized the wording that voters were given a real choice, and the process in the overwhelming majority of observed polling stations received a positive assessment. He also referred to the report's assessment of "unprecedented and alarming" external interference and stated that society demonstrated democratic stability despite this pressure.

The head of the "Strong Armenia" faction, Narek Karapetyan, on the contrary, emphasized the increase in searches and arrests of opposition politicians recorded by PACE, the use of administrative resources by the ruling party, the selective nature of investigations into voter bribery, and the potential loss of mandates for "Prosperous Armenia" due to the annulled polling stations.

The report contains criticism of both the authorities and the opposition: in particular, the document points to "extreme polarization of society and mass protests," which created a tense domestic political atmosphere, and that the protracted standoff weakened trust in the possibility of political change through institutions and elections, notes Factor TV.

"Caucasian Knot" reported that on April 1, Putin expressed Moscow's desire to see pro-Russian forces in parliament, and on May 9 recommended that Yerevan "decide as soon as possible" on the choice between the EU and the EAEU. The election campaigning of Armenian parties was largely built around the theme of Russian pressure, which was particularly relevant and discussed in May and early June. Before the day of silence on June 5, opposition parties continued to exploit Russian pressure as a mobilization factor for voters.

A survey conducted by "Caucasian Knot" among employees of the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri confirmed one specific case of such pressure. Human rights organizations reported that Armenian citizens working at the base were coerced to vote against Pashinyan's party under the threat of dismissal, and this data was confirmed by interviewed employees and residents of Gyumri.

"Caucasian Knot" published a reference "Elections 2026 in the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia".