Armenia’s parliamentary election has strengthened Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s mandate, with analysts linking the result to his post-Garabagh agenda and pro-Western direction. However, constitutional constraints remain a key obstacle to peace efforts with Azerbaijan.
Speaking to AnewZ, political analyst Eldar Hamzali said the vote was particularly significant as Armenia’s first regular parliamentary election in eight years, following a series of snap elections since 2018.
He said the election also reflected public support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s post-Garabagh vision, after Yerevan effectively declared the conflict over.
“It was a test for Nikol Pashinyan and for Armenian society as well,” Hamzali said, adding that “at least half of the voters who went to polling stations have voted for this future.”
While some opposition groups have challenged results in individual precincts and filed complaints with the Central Electoral Commission, Arsen Kharatyan, founder of AliQ Media, told AnewZ's Guy Shone on Primetime that major changes remain unlikely.
Kharatyan added that even if a fourth party enters parliament after recounts, the ruling Civil Contract party would lose only a small number of mandates alongside other parties.
He also noted that discussions on constitutional change and referendums extend beyond parliament, arguing there are multiple mechanisms within Armenian society to initiate such processes.
“I’m not even sure that a referendum is part of or should be part of the discussion with regards to the peace agreement. [...] We have far more reaching goals as parties besides the constitutional change.”
The election result has also renewed attention on efforts to finalise a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Kharatyan said the outcome removes uncertainty over political representation in negotiations.
“I don't see any challenge for the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement signing,” he said, adding that Pashinyan has a governing majority and “has all the legal rights to sign the agreement.”
However, Hamzali pointed to constitutional constraints as a key obstacle in the process. He said Azerbaijan has repeatedly called for the removal of references to Armenia’s Declaration of Independence from the constitution’s preamble, arguing it contains territorial claims.
He added that “Armenia’s constitution requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority to initiate a referendum on constitutional amendments,” a threshold the ruling party currently lacks.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has previously stressed the need to remove territorial claims from Armenia’s constitution.
Analysts say the election gives Pashinyan space to continue balancing closer ties with Europe while maintaining pragmatic relations with Russia.
Hamzali said Armenia remains economically dependent on Russia and cannot rapidly shift toward Europe. “Armenia needs time,” he said, noting that EU integration requires extensive reforms and standards alignment.
He added that Moscow is likely to tolerate Armenia’s current direction as long as core interests are not challenged.
“I think Russia will tolerate” Armenia’s current trajectory, he said, provided Yerevan avoids crossing major Russian red lines.
The future of Armenia’s normalisation process with Türkiye is expected to depend largely on progress between Yerevan and Baku.
“The Armenian-Turkish normalisation is much dependent on Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation,” Hamzali said, noting that Turkish officials have linked border opening to broader peace progress.
Beyond foreign policy, economic issues are expected to dominate the Armenian government’s agenda following the election.
Hamzali said security concerns remain important but are gradually being overtaken by economic priorities. “The second concern is, of course, the economy,” he said.
With a renewed mandate, Pashinyan’s government is expected to prioritise economic reform while managing complex regional dynamics and constitutional limitations.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the st...
Georgia’s International Maritime Forum has closed in Batumi with officials setting out investment targets, timelines and technical plans aime...
Kazakhstan is stepping up investment in the Middle Corridor as rising freight volumes and demand for more diverse trade links drive the rapid expan...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Kazakhstan is stepping up investment in the Middle Corridor as rising freight volumes and demand for more diverse trade links drive the rapid expansion of the route connecting Asia and Europe.
Georgia’s International Maritime Forum has closed in Batumi with officials setting out investment targets, timelines and technical plans aimed at expanding the Middle Corridor and strengthening the country’s role in global trade.
Iran says it has delivered on its promise of a “faster, heavier and more painful” response to Washington, striking U.S. bases, warships and commercial vessels early on Wednesday.
Central Asian foreign ministers have marked 20 years since a landmark nuclear-free treaty, reaffirming their commitment to regional security, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
Saudi Arabia’s international leisure tourism industry is forecast to grow by 93 per cent between 2025 and 2030, as the kingdom expands beyond religious travel. The figures were presented during WTM Spotlight Riyadh, where industry leaders discussed the growing tourism market.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment