Category: Podcast Digest

Hovik Manucharyan and Asbed Bedrossian examine Armenia’s 2026 parliamentary election results, shifting Armenia-Georgia relations amid EU corridor initiatives, and a landmark US-Iran interim agreement that reshapes regional security architecture. Hrant Mikaelian examines the disputed aftermath of Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary election, discussing electoral fraud allegations, government threats against opposition parties, Armenia-Russia tensions, EU support for Armenian exports, and why political polling failed to predict the result.

We analyze the disputed results of Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary election, examining Civil Contract’s contested majority, alleged irregularities and invalid ballots, the OSCE/ODIHR preliminary report, the last-minute exclusion of Prosperous Armenia, opposition arrests and pressure, and what a three-fifths majority could mean for Armenia’s courts, institutions, and foreign policy. Arthur G. Martirosyan examines Armenia’s contested 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election, discussing whether the vote was free and fair, how state pressure and Western backing shaped the  Read More

We examine Armenia’s May 28 Independence Day parade as election theater, Marco Rubio’s push for critical minerals deals and the TRIPP framework, and the strategic risks Armenia faces from Russia and Iran as the country heads into the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election. Dr. Philippe Raffi Kalfayan returns from IODA’s second election observation mission to report a sharply deteriorating pre-election climate marked by arrests of opposition figures, state intimidation of voters, misuse of public resources, and widespread fear among citizens. Rafael Ishkhanyan of the Armenian  Read More

We examine the tightening political climate in Armenia ahead of the June 2026 parliamentary elections, analyzing Marco Rubio’s sudden visit, new polling data showing stark divergences between IRI and MPG, hidden voter patterns that may reveal concealed opposition support, TRIPP polarization, escalating arrests and threats against opposition figures, and Pashinyan’s incendiary campaign rhetoric including his ‘Why are you alive?’ outburst. Arthur Khachatryan of Hayastan Dashinq discusses Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election, foreign interference, election fraud concerns, the opposition platform, TRIPP, military spending claims, and Russia’s economic pressure on Armenia.

We examine Pashinyan’s violent campaign rhetoric, the abuse of state resources ahead of Armenia’s June 7 election, selective law enforcement against the opposition, the worsening Armenia-Russia relationship, and the vandalism of an Armenian church in Javakhk. We survey all 17 parties and 2 alliances registered for Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections, walking through each participant’s leadership, polling numbers, platform, and geopolitical orientation. Political scientist Edgar Elbakyan joins the hosts to examine Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary  Read More