Snap parliamentary elections were held in Armenia on 20 June 2021. The elections had initially been scheduled for 9 December 2023, but were called earlier due to a political crisis following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War and an alleged attempted coup in February 2021.
Nikol Pashinyan, who had served as prime minister since 2018, resigned in April 2021 and subsequently the seventh National Assembly was dissolved on 10 May. Pashinyan continued to serve as acting prime minister until the elections were held. Following the election, Pashinyan's Civil Contract party received 54% of the vote and won 71 seats, a majority in the 107-seat parliament. The opposition Armenia Alliance, finished second with 29 seats, while the I Have Honor Alliance won 7 seats. No other party or alliance surpassed the electoral threshold required to win a seat. The opposition claimed there had been electoral fraud during the elections, while the OSCE assessed the election as meeting international standards and described it as; "marred by increasingly inflammatory rhetoric" but was "positive overall."
Background After six weeks of war with Azerbaijan, on 9 November 2020 prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Russian president Vladimir Putin reached and signed a ceasefire agreement. Following the announcement of this deal, violent protests erupted in Yerevan. The National Assembly was stormed and its speaker Ararat Mirzoyan was beaten by an angry mob.
Pashinyan faced continuous calls for his resignation and mass rallies calling for him to step down. On 25 February 2021 the Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan and more than 40 other top-ranking generals demanded Pashinyan's resignation, which Pashinyan described as a coup attempt, causing a political crisis that ended with Gasparyan's dismissal.
On 25 April 2021 Pashinyan announced his formal resignation, prompting the dissolution of the National Assembly and the call for snap elections on 20 June of that year.
Electoral system
The members of the unicameral National Assembly were elected by party-list proportional representation. The number of seats was set at a minimum of 101, which could rise when allocation of additional seats is required. Seats were allocated using the d'Hondt method with an election threshold of 5% for parties and 7% for multi-party alliances.All Change in Armenia Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 8 December 2015Parliamentary elections 2 April 2017: OSCE/ODIHR needs assessment mission report OSCE However, a minimum of three political groups would be awarded seats enter parliament regardless of the performance of the third-best performing party or alliance.
Four seats were reserved for national minorities (Assyrians, Kurds, Russians and Yazidis), with parties having separate lists for the four groups. A gender quota required any top section of a party list to include at least 33% candidates of each gender.
If a party received a majority of the vote but wins less than 54% of the seats, they would be awarded additional seats to give them 54% of the total. If one party won over two-thirds of the seats, the losing parties which passed the electoral threshold would be given extra seats reducing the share of seats of the winning party to two-thirds. If a government is not formed within six days of the preliminary results being released, a run-off round between the top two parties must be held on the 28th day. The party that won the run-off would be given the additional seats required for a 54% majority, with all seats allocated in the first round preserved.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Electoral Code did not provide for mail-in voting or early voting.
Schedule Participating parties and alliances were required to submit applications with all supporting documentation by 18:00 on 26 May. The electoral lists of the political parties and alliances of parties were registered by 31 May.
The official election campaign took place from 7 to 18 June. Voting took place on 20 June from 8am to 8pm.
Participating political forces Four alliances and 23 parties submitted documents to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) in order to register for the elections. This is a significant increase in the number of parties competing, as only nine parties and two alliances had competed in the parliamentary elections held two years earlier. Several of the parties and all of the alliances were established in 2020 or 2021, following Armenia's defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. In total, four alliances and 23 parties participated in the election. Ballot numberName of Party or AllianceAllied parties (candidates each)Candidate for Prime MinisterKey figures, other candidatesDomestic policyGeopolitical orientationIdeologyOpen to coalition withNumber of candidates (main list + minority list - denied registration)Civil Contract?Armenia Alliance?1.Fair Armenia PartyNorayr NorikyanCentristPro-European, Pro-RussianBig tent, economic liberalismyesyes85+0-12.Armenian National Congress Party (HAK)Levon Ter-Petrosyan (former President, 1991–98)Levon ZurabyanCentristPro-European, Pro-Western, Pro-RussianSocial liberalismnoyes101+3-03.Civil ContractUnited Labor Party,Mighty Homeland PartyNikol Pashinyan (incumbent Prime Minister, since 2018)Ararat Mirzoyan, Lilit Makunts, Suren Papikyan, Khachatur SukiasyanCentristPro-European, Pro-Western, Pro-RussianLiberalism, populism, reformism, anti-corruptionN/Ano157+4-04.Awakening National Christian PartyAra ZohrabyanCentre-rightChristian democracymaybe101+0-95.Freedom PartyHrant BagratyanModern liberalism noyes86+0-36.I Have Honor AllianceRepublican Party (137), Homeland Party (45)Artur Vanetsyan (former president, 2008–18), Taron MargaryanRightPro-RussianNational conservatism, Armenian nationalismnoyes230+0-07.United Homeland PartyLusine AvagyanMher TerteryanPro-RussianArmenian nationalism88+0-08.All-Armenian National Statehood PartyArtur Vardanyan82+0-09.Bright Armenia Party (LHK)Edmon MarukyanGevorg Gorgisyan, David Khazhakyan, Ani SamsonyanCentristPro-Western, Pro-EuropeanClassical liberalismAgainst any coalition if candidate for PM is Pashinyan or Kocharyan. May be open to coalition with either of them if Marukyan is candidate.107+0-010.Armenia is Our Home PartyAlliance PartyTigran UrikhanyanAra AbrahamyanCentristPro-Russianimprobablemaybe88+0-011.Republic PartyAram Z. SargsyanArtak ZeynalyanCentristPro-Western, Pro-EuropeanConservative liberalismyesno (only in state of war)103+0-012.Homeland of Armenians PartyArtak GalstyanVardan Ghukasyan91+0-113.Free Homeland AllianceAndreas GhukasyanMikael Hayrapetyan, Paruyr Hayrikyan, Arshak SadoyanPro-Western, Pro-European, Anti-Russiannono83+0-214.Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK)Gagik TsarukyanArman AbovyanCentre-rightPro-RussianConservatism, Euroscepticismimprobablemaybe93+3-115.Democratic Party of ArmeniaSocial Democrat Hunchakian Party (4)Aram G. SargsyanLeftPro-RussianDemocratic socialismmaybe88+0-216.5165 National Conservative Movement PartyKarin TonoyanArmenian nationalism95+0-017.Citizen's Decision Social-Democratic PartySuren SahakyanLeftSocial democracy, environmentalism, direct democracymaybe18.Shirinyan-Babajanyan Alliance of DemocratsChristian-Democratic Rebirth Party (48),For The Republic Party (38)Arman BabajanyanLevon Shirinyan, Stepan SafaryanPro-Western, Pro-EuropeanLiberalismmaybeimprobable90+0-119.National Agenda PartyAra HakobyanCentre-rightPro-RussianArmenian nationalism, Armenia-Artsakh unificationnomaybe84+0-120.Rise PartyAleksan MinasyanArmenian nationalismimprobablemaybe81+0-021.Liberal PartySamvel BabayanPro-EuropeanLiberalism80+0-022.Armenian Eagles Unified Armenia PartyKhachik AsryanArmenian nationalism86+0-023.European Party of Armenia (EPA)Tigran KhzmalyanRuben HakhverdyanCentristPro-Western, Pro-European, Anti-RussianLiberalismmaybeimprobable90+0-124.Armenia AllianceARF (78),Reborn Armenia (29),One Armenia (1)Robert Kocharyan (Former President, 1998–2008)Vahe Hakobyan, Armen Rustamyan, Seyran Ohanyan, Artsvik MinasyanCentre-leftPro-RussianArmenian nationalismnoN/A153+3-025.National Democratic PoleSasna Tsrer Pan-Armenian Party, National Progress Party of ArmeniaVahe GasparyanJirair Sefilian, Varuzhan AvetisyanPro-Western, Pro-European, Anti-RussianArmenian nationalismimprobableimprobable114+0-426.Sovereign Armenia PartyDavit SanasaryanCentristPro-Western, Pro-Europeannono85+1-0 Notes: Registered as an alliance, implying 7% election threshold Diverse estimates. Yes/No - as claimed; other info - as estimated. 5% for parties and 7% for registered alliances. was removed from election list after failing to prove residency in Armenia
Declined participation or failed to register The Christian-Democratic Rebirth Party decided to withdraw its application to participate in the elections as an independent entity; instead the party participated as a part of the Shirinyan-Babajanyan Alliance of Democrats.
On 21 April, the Free Democrats confirmed they would participate in the elections, but ultimately, failed to register.
On 7 June leader of the Armenian Eagles Unified Armenia Party, Khachik Asryan, said that his party is terminating their election campaign and won't participate in elections. He called to cancel elections at large until the border regions of Armenia are liberated from Azerbaijani occupation.
The Democratic Way Party boycotted the election, claiming the election would be rigged.
The Democratic Consolidation Party did not participate in the elections stating that the threat of war should be a more serious concern to Armenia.
The Heritage party decided not to participate to prevent the reelection of Nikol Pashinyan.Heritage Party Bows Out of June Parliamentary Election in Armenia
Endorsements
Opinion polls Date PollsterArmenia AllianceMy Step / CC Honor / RPAPAPBright ArmeniaFDRepublicNDP / STARF 20 Jun 2021 Final results 21.11 53.95 5.22 3.95 1.22– 3.04 1.49–11-18 JuneGallup International Armenia28.725.210.85.45.2 -2.60.7 -31 May-16 JuneArmenian Election Study122412 - -22 -6-10 June 2021Gallup International Armenia24.123.87.43.73.1 -2.30.8 -31 May - 4 June 2021Gallup International Armenia20.622.43.94.22.9 -2.11.5 -25–28 May 2021 Gallup International Armenia17.522.92.73.82.3-2.81.7-18–21 May 2021 Gallup International Armenia14.3 34 seats (33+1)
32% seats24.8 61 seats (58+3)
58% seats3.14.1 10 seats
9.5% seats2.0-2.51-23–27 Apr 2021 Gallup International Armenia8.127.21.83․71.8--1.11.126–29 Mar 2021 Gallup International Armenia5.931.72.44.42.7-0.40.52.18 April–4 May 2021 IRI/Breavis-26111111115–17 Feb 2021Gallup International Armenia-33.12.24.42.6-0.7 0.42.28–16 Feb 2021 IRI/Breavis-33131-- 1110–27 June 2020Gallup International Armenia-551.465-- 0.11.89 Nov–1 Dec 2019Gallup International Armenia -61.31.514.23.9-- 1.12.520 Sep–13 Oct 2019IRI/Breavis-55419611 -36–31 May 2019IRI/Breavis-595124-- 1430 Apr–9 May 2019Gallup International Armenia-601.611.94.6-- 1.211.69 Dec 2018Parliamentary elections70.424.708.266.372.00
Conduct Eight monitoring missions, including from the OSCE/ODIHR and the CIS registered to observe the elections. A total of 250 short-term observers arrived from the ODHIR and 70 observers from various CIS countries, monitored the elections.
There were 8 monitoring missions in the 2018 parliamentary elections and 6 missions in the 2017 parliamentary elections.
Due to the alignment of the election procedures with the OSCE recommendations, Freedom House reclassified Armenia as an electoral democracy.Electoral Democracies in Freedom in the World 2022 (.XLSX), Freedom HouseArmenia: Freedom ism the World 2022, Freedom House
Results