Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party has won local elections in most communities across Armenia. The opposition has accused the authorities of electoral fraud and putting pressure on rival candidates. However, reports published by election observers confirm individual violations but do not establish that the voting results were falsified.

According to preliminary data from Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission, Civil Contract won 85.95% of the vote in Artashat, 90.82% in Hrazdan and 71.83% in Meghri. In several communities, the ruling party ran unopposed.

The highest voter turnout was recorded in Stepanavan, in Lori Province, at 68.83%. There, the Entrepreneur party came first with approximately 41.5% of the vote. Civil Contract received 35.3%, while Strong Armenia won 19.7%.

Entrepreneur is led by Stepanavan’s incumbent mayor, Armen Grigoryan, a member of Civil Contract who ran under another party’s list in these elections. In Goris, Entrepreneur contested the election in a coalition with the ruling party.

In Yeghegnadzor, in Vayots Dzor Province, Civil Contract received 48.06% of the vote, while the Republic party won 46.86%. The difference between them was just 185 votes.

Following the publication of the preliminary results, the Strong Armenia party said Civil Contract had become a force that was “burying democracy in Armenia”. Opposition figures accused the authorities of abusing administrative resources, detaining political opponents, creating an atmosphere of fear and promising to provide housing to citizens.

The Independent Observer alliance reported 209 violations at 135 polling stations. These included breaches of ballot secrecy, restrictions on observers’ rights and cases in which, according to the monitoring mission, voters were instructed on whom to vote for. Observers said election commissions had addressed 65% of the reported violations.

Commenting on the election results, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared that the “three-headed party of war” had been defeated and called for the formation of a new opposition focused on the country’s national interests.

“Armenia must develop a new, state-oriented opposition, but it must not be formed by the government,” the prime minister said.

According to Pashinyan, opposition forces that he alleges engage in espionage and are controlled from abroad should disappear from the country’s political life. He also proposed holding public discussions on the formation of a new opposition.