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Akbar Novruz

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The head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin has said Armenia’s parliamentary elections were ‘in a certain sense, questionable’. Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to congratulate Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his victory, breaking tradition as a longtime ally of Armenia, AzerNEWS reports via OC Media.

‘It’s clear that it’s complex. The elections weren’t easy, so to speak. The results are relative and, in a certain sense, questionable. Therefore, these very, I would say, lively political processes will continue’, Naryshkin told Russian state-run media TASS on Monday, the day after the final results of the elections were published.

According to the final results, the ruling Civil Contract party will hold 64 seats in parliament, while the opposition Strong Armenia party secured 29 seats and the Armenia Alliance won 12. Prosperous Armenia, another prominent opposition party led by tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan, failed to pass the 4% threshold required to enter parliament, receiving only 3.9893% of the vote.

The final results followed recounts at several hundred polling stations, as well as decisions by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) to invalidate the voting results at three polling stations. The CEC further made a controversial decision not to organise repeat votes in those polling stations. Therefore, the ruling party has maintained the 3/5 majority necessary for appointing and dismissing key executive and judicial positions and changing constitutional law.

On Monday, Naryshkin further stressed the importance of maintaining bilateral ‘good relations’, highlighting ‘that cooperation and collaboration develop across all areas — economics, humanitarian cooperation, military, and military-technical cooperation’.

The remarks came amidst continued reluctance by Moscow to formally recognise the election’s outcome, as ties between Armenia and its historic ally remain tense.

Instead, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on 8 June that Moscow was monitoring reports of electoral violations and declined to comment on the vote, stating that Russia would wait for the final results.