Armenians began voting Sunday in a parliamentary election set to test Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s tilt to the West, as the country faces threats and allegations of interference from former imperial ruler Russia.
– Armenia and Russia are technically allies, but Moscow has compared the former Soviet republic’s EU ambitions to the same path it claims triggered its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
– The election comes after years of upheaval since Pashinyan was propelled to power in a 2018 street revolution.
– The small Caucasus country is still reeling from long-time foe Azerbaijan’s military takeover of the Karabakh region.
– The conflict came to an end in 2023, when the Azerbaijan army seized control of the enclave, and most of the Armenian population fled.
– Pashinyan has framed the vote as a choice between a lasting peace with Azerbaijan, or a return to war.
– The 51-year-old has also sought to loosen Armenia’s dependence on Moscow, after it failed to help during the Karabakh conflict.
– He has frozen participation in a Russia-led security bloc while deepening ties with the European Union and United States, and set Armenia on a path toward possible EU membership.
– While US President Donald Trump offered his “TOTAL Endorsement for Re-Election” to “great friend and Leader” Pashinyan, Moscow has bristled at the possible loss of yet another ally in its backyard.
– In a pointed remark, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in May: “We all see what is happening with Ukraine now… How did it all begin? With Ukraine’s attempt to join the EU.”
– The Kremlin has been accused of seeking to sway the vote.
– Analysts have noted misinformation on the web, hacker activity and Kremlin-friendly narratives portraying Western cooperation as dangerous.
– In the weeks before the vote, Russia banned the import of several products from Armenia – seen as a move to heap economic pressure on the country.
– And Armenian officials have warned “enemies of freedom” are funding propaganda efforts.
– Pashinyan has insisted he does not want a rupture with Moscow.
– But the campaign is a battle over Armenia’s geopolitical future.
– Pashinyan and his chief opponents have all accused each other of risking a fresh conflict.
– Pashinyan told voters Armenia could face a “catastrophic war” with Azerbaijan within months if his Civil Contract party – leading in opinion polls – fails to secure a strong majority.
– His opponents say that rhetoric is fearmongering.
– Samvel Karapetyan, a billionaire Russian-Armenian businessman whose Strong Armenia party is polling second, has rejected claims he would drag Armenia back into Russia’s orbit, but warned against Pashinyan’s “reckless rush” to the West.
– “Russia has been and will remain our strategic partner and principal economic partner,” he said.
– Karapetyan has been under house arrest since last year on charges of plotting a coup – allegations he rejects as politically motivated.
– Europe has made little secret of who it wants to win.
– In a high-profile visit in May, French President Emmanuel Macron threw his support behind Pashinyan, embracing the Armenian leader as a dear friend.
– At an evening reception, Macron took to the microphone and Pashinyan to the drums for a rendition of “La Boheme”, the 1965 classic by the late Charles Aznavour, a singer beloved in both countries.
– It remains unclear whether Pashinyan’s party can secure the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to pass constitutional amendments, demanded by Azerbaijan as a condition for a final peace treaty.
– Pashinyan’s democratic record is also on the ballot paper.
– Eight years after he swept to power on a promise to dismantle Armenia’s oligarchic system, he faces increasing accusations of democratic backsliding.
– Still for many Armenians, the opposition remains associated with Russian influence and oligarchs.
– On Yerevan’s streets, voters were split over Pashinyan’s record.
– “The first task is to get rid of him,” said Armen Pogosian, 77, president of a consumers’ association, blaming the premier for the loss of Karabakh.
– Computing specialist Garik Petrosian, 31, said he would vote for the incumbent, for “Armenia’s independence”.
– “Let us not become a province of Russia,” he said.
– Nearly 2.5 million people are eligible to vote in the elections which are monitored by international observers from the OSCE.
– Polls close at 1600 GMT.