Before the Vote: Stakes and Risks in Armenia's 2026 Parliamentary Elections

Armenia's parliamentary elections on June 7 are a pivotal test for the country's democratic resilience and its contested geopolitical direction. As the vote approaches, local observers are flagging persistent risks ranging from illicit financing and opaque campaign funding to Russian hybrid operations and coordinated disinformation networks.

The elections are taking place in the aftermath of the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh war and an unfinished peace process with Azerbaijan. They also come as Armenia experiences deep political polarization and acute pressure from foreign actors, meaning the results will have an impact beyond the parliamentary balance of power. They will shape Armenia's internal cohesion, its foreign policy orientation, its normalization with Türkiye and Azerbaijan, and its resistance to foreign interference.

This event will explore the stakes for Armenia's political landscape and reform trajectory; the extent to which the country's institutions can safeguard electoral integrity; the role of foreign influence, illicit financing, and disinformation in the campaign; and the impact of the election's outcome on Armenia's relationship with the EU and the West, and the peace process with Azerbaijan.

The discussion will build on GMF's pre-election risk assessment.

The event takes place in the framework of Transatlantic Foundation/GMF's EU-funded ProElect Project.

This publication was produced with the financial support of the EU and the Transatlantic Foundation (TF). Its contents are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU and TF.