Freedom House’s 2025 Freedom in the World report devotes specific attention to Armenia’s electoral processes, raising concerns about recent developments.
Regarding the organization and oversight of elections—particularly the role of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC)—the report notes that CEC members are appointed and confirmed by the parliament for six-year terms. International observers deemed the CEC’s work during the June 2021 elections transparent and effective. However, the October 2022 election of ruling party member Vahagn Hovakimyan as CEC chair raised civil society concerns over the body’s impartiality and independence, according to Factor.am .
Changes to Armenia’s Electoral Code also drew criticism. A reform adopted in April 2021 introduced a fully proportional system based on a nationwide constituency, which was used in that June’s elections. In May 2023, the government initiated further changes to the code. A joint report by the Venice Commission and the OSCE described the frequency of such amendments as “astonishing” and regretted that not all stakeholder proposals had been adopted.
Under the report’s section questioning whether key government officials are elected through free and fair elections, it states that the president is elected by parliament for a seven-year term, while most executive authority lies with the prime minister, who is chosen by the parliamentary majority.
In January 2022, President Armen Sarkissian—elected in early 2018—resigned. He was succeeded by Vahagn Khachaturyan, who had served as minister of high-tech industry. In the June 2021 snap parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won a parliamentary majority, allowing him to retain office.
Although the results were contested by the opposition, Armenia’s Constitutional Court upheld them, and both local and international observers deemed the elections relatively free and fair despite some violations.
The report also addresses whether members of parliament are elected through fair means. The National Assembly comprises at least 101 members, elected for five-year terms through proportional representation. In the June 2021 elections, three political forces gained representation. Civil Contract secured 53.9% of the vote and 71 seats; the Armenia alliance, led by former President Robert Kocharyan, won 21.1% and 29 seats; and the I Have Honor alliance, founded by former President Serzh Sargsyan, received 5.2% and 7 seats, though one member later left the faction to become independent.
In November 2024, Prime Minister Pashinyan urged Civil Contract MPs Narek Zeynalyan and Hovik Aghazaryan to resign. Zeynalyan complied, while Aghazaryan refused and was expelled from the party, along with another MP who supported him. Aghazaryan later faced criminal charges—reportedly not related to disclosure of state secrets, despite some claims.
During the September 2023 Yerevan City Council elections, 14 political groups participated, but turnout was only 28.4%. The local watchdog “Independent Observer” noted that while voter choice was broadly respected despite widespread misuse of administrative resources during the campaign, there were also unauthorized persons at polling stations, breaches of ballot secrecy, voter pressure, and restrictions on media and observer rights. Further journalistic investigations uncovered potential illegal funding of the ruling party’s campaign, the report concludes.
