Armenia Election: Pashinyan Wins, Russia's Influence Wanes

Nikol Pashinyan's "Civil Contract" party has secured a victory in Armenia's parliamentary elections, ensuring another term for the prime minister. While the party saw a decrease in votes compared to the 2021 election, it still garnered enough support to maintain leadership.

The election campaign was highly contentious, with widespread public and opposition criticism directed at Pashinyan. Accusations included high prices, the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan in 2023, and his government's perceived rapprochement with Turkey. However, the election results suggest these criticisms did not reflect the majority opinion.

The opposition, particularly parties advocating for closer ties with Russia and the reclamation of Nagorno-Karabakh, suffered significant losses. Three key opposition parties, two of which are led by oligarchs with financial interests in Russia, failed to gain traction. The election highlighted a divided nation, with one oligarch's party gaining substantial support.

More broadly, Russia appears to be the biggest loser in this election. Despite significant investment in propaganda, fake news, and disinformation campaigns through bots and pro-Russian media to oust Pashinyan, their efforts were unsuccessful. This marks the third election in less than a year where Russia has failed to influence the outcome in a neighboring country, following Moldova and Hungary. In response to Pashinyan's victory, Russia has announced an expansion of its embargo on Armenian agricultural exports.