Election Integrity

Armenia faces domestic political turmoil, border security breaches, and international pressure over the Azerbaijani serviceman incident and church persecution, while peace negotiations proceed amid regional tensions.

Hovik and Asbed mark the sixth anniversary of the 44-Day War while examining Armenia’s deepening crisis over historical memory, escalating tensions between the state and the Armenian Church, international concern over election integrity, and Armenia’s isolated position as Azerbaijan demolishes Artsakh’s Armenian cultural heritage. Harut Sassounian examines Armenia’s identity crisis amid escalating conflict between Pashinyan’s government and the Armenian Apostolic Church, discussing Catholicos Garegin II’s statements at the May 2025 World Council of Churches  Read More

Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections test Pashinyan’s Western pivot amid Russian pressure, mass opposition arrests, strategic U.S. engagement through TRIPP, and the country’s post-Karabakh (Nagorno Karabakh) geopolitical realignment.

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

This Conversations on Groong episode with Mikael Darbinian examines Armenia’s security crisis through the lens of the Strong Armenia doctrine. The discussion focuses on deterrence, diplomacy from a position of strength, Azerbaijani positions inside Armenia’s sovereign territory, the risks around TRIPP and the Zangezur Corridor, the rights of Artsakh Armenians, regional war scenarios involving Iran, and the gap between international political theater and Armenia’s unresolved national security threats.