Armenia is holding legislative elections today, the first since Azerbaijan recaptured the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is seeking re-election while peace talks continue with Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The vote comes after Pashinyan's government suffered a military defeat in 2023 during Azerbaijan's offensive to reintegrate the Armenian-majority Nagorno-Karabakh region. Since then, he has also pushed for closer ties with the United States and the European Union, while moving away from years of political and military dependence on Russia.
These elections are being seen as a test of Pashinyan's leadership after the loss of Karabakh, which remains central to the campaign. The last parliamentary elections were held in 2021, making this the first national vote since the conflict changed Armenia's political landscape.
The territory covered about 4,400 km² and was home to around 100,000 people before the offensive. It had been the site of wars in 1992 to 1994, when Armenian forces prevailed, and again in 2020. Azerbaijan's latest offensive ended Karabakh's independence aspirations, which emerged after the collapse of the USSR. Yerevan described the exodus of the Armenian population as ethnic cleansing.
Pashinyan has faced strong criticism at home for losing a highly symbolic territory, but he argues that the diplomatic process is aimed at stability and long-term economic and social development. Critics say he is making unacceptable concessions to Baku. He is also holding talks with Turkey, despite the long-running dispute over recognition of the Armenian genocide during the Ottoman Empire, which Ankara does not accept.
The election also tests Pashinyan's decision to distance Armenia from Russia, its historical ally. That shift accelerated after Moscow did not intervene during the offensive. In January 2024, Pashinyan froze Armenia's participation in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation, and in January 2025 he presented a bill to hold a referendum on joining the European Union, although no date has been set.
The European Union and Armenia held their first bilateral summit on 5 May, signing a connectivity agreement to strengthen ties in transport, energy and digitalisation. The move has added to tensions with Russia, which has threatened to suspend or challenge energy agreements with Yerevan and temporarily banned imports of Armenian products. The United States has also become more active in the region, with recent diplomatic engagement including a strategic partnership agreement signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.