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Akbar Novruz

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Armenia is entering the final days before its June 7 parliamentary elections with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his ruling party maintaining a significant lead over opposition forces, according to the latest polling data, AzerNEWS reports.

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Recent surveys indicate that Pashinyan’s party is receiving support from at least 65 percent of voters, while none of the opposition parties are expected to surpass the 12 percent threshold individually.

The Armenian opposition, led by former President Robert Kocharyan’s “Armenia” Alliance, businessman Samvel Karapetyan’s “Strong Armenia,” and Gagik Tsarukyan’s “Prosperous Armenia,” has reportedly failed to consolidate enough public support to challenge Pashinyan despite their combined campaigning efforts.

Pashinyan has centered his election campaign around the slogan “Vote for Peace,” focusing on Armenia’s normalization agenda with Azerbaijan, constitutional reforms, deeper integration with the European Union, and efforts to move away from policies containing territorial claims toward Garabagh.

Meanwhile, opposition groups have built their campaign rhetoric around accusations that Pashinyan “handed over Garabagh,” while also criticizing the deterioration in Armenia’s relations with Russia and warning about what they describe as an increasingly dangerous geopolitical environment for the country.

The election campaign has also unfolded amid rising tensions between Yerevan and Moscow. Reports from Armenia claim that hundreds of fake pages and bot accounts promoting anti-government narratives and targeting Pashinyan have recently been uncovered online.

According to reports cited by Reuters, Russia is allegedly seeking to mobilize around 100,000 Armenians to participate in the elections against Pashinyan, while substantial financial resources have reportedly been allocated from the Kremlin for related activities.

At the same time, Russian officials have intensified pressure on Armenia over its growing engagement with the European Union and have openly urged Yerevan to choose between European integration and membership in the Eurasian Economic Union.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently stated that Armenia benefits significantly from its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, particularly in the energy sector. According to Putin, gas supplied to Europe is sold at much higher prices than exports to Armenia, warning that Yerevan could lose such economic advantages if it leaves the bloc.

In another development ahead of the vote, Russia suspended imports of several vegetable products from Armenia starting May 31, citing chemical incompatibility concerns.

Reports also indicate that Russia’s ambassador to Armenia was recalled amid growing disagreements linked to Armenia’s pro-European trajectory.