Armenia voted Sunday in a parliamentary election set to test Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s tilt to the West, as the country faces threats and allegations of interference from former imperial ruler Russia. Armenia and Russia are technically allies, but Moscow has compared the former Soviet republic’s EU ambitions to the same path it claims triggered its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The election comes after years of upheaval since Pashinyan was propelled to power in a 2018 street revolution. The small Caucasus country is still reeling from long-time foe Azerbaijan’s military takeover of the Karabakh region. The conflict came to an end in 2023, when Azerbaijan’s army seized control of the enclave, and most of the Armenian population fled. Pashinyan has framed the vote as a choice between a lasting peace with Azerbaijan, or a return to war. The 51-year-old has also sought to loosen Armenia’s dependence on Moscow, after it failed to help during the Karabakh conflict. He has frozen participation in a Russia-led security bloc while deepening ties with the European Union and United States, and set Armenia on a path toward possible EU membership. While US President Donald Trump offered his “TOTAL Endorsement for Re-Election” to “great friend and Leader” Pashinyan, Moscow has bristled at the possible loss of yet another ally in its backyard.
Armenia Casts Ballots on Peace with Azerbaijan and EU Ambitions
Amid intense geopolitical tension, misinformation, and economic pressure from Moscow, Armenians went to the polls in a vote framed as a crucial choice for the nation’s future alignment.











