The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights stated that the campaign for the June 7 parliamentary elections was highly polarized and that observers noted direct external pressure during the electoral period.

According to the organization, a polarized media environment, biased news coverage, and divisive online campaigning accompanied by manipulative content significantly limited voters’ access to impartial and reliable information, Azatutyun reports.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said that these factors reduced the availability of balanced information for voters and contributed to a tense electoral atmosphere.

The head of the OSCE/ODIHR mission stated that the elections were well organized. However, according to the mission’s assessment, “the campaign period saw direct external pressure in the form of escalating trade restrictions and security threats aimed at exerting undue influence on voters in favor of the opposition.”

“At the same time, we did not observe cases of systemic misuse of state administrative resources at the local level,” the mission head said.

According to ODIHR, attempts at direct pressure from abroad were carried out through increased trade restrictions and security-related threats intended to influence voters’ choices in favor of opposition political forces.

OSCE Special Coordinator Farah Karimi stated that the campaign was highly confrontational, marked by divisive rhetoric and accusations of vote-buying and other electoral violations.

“The campaign was highly adversarial, with polarizing rhetoric and allegations of vote-buying and other electoral violations. This led to numerous criminal cases involving opposition candidates and activists, which in turn caused many opposition supporters to refrain from actively participating in the campaign,” Karimi said.

The organization also noted concerns regarding the fairness of the campaign environment, citing reports of pressure on public-sector employees to attend ruling party events, as well as recently adopted socio-economic measures that raised questions about equal conditions for all participants in the electoral process.

According to the preliminary results of the June 7 National Assembly elections, the vote distribution was as follows: Civil Contract — 49.825%, Strong Armenia — 23.281%, Armenia Alliance — 9.934%, and Prosperous Armenia — 3.996%. Under these updated figures, the Prosperous Armenia Party does not clear the 4% electoral threshold required for parliamentary representation.