Armenia's 2026 Parliamentary Elections: Who's Running for Power, How the Majority is Formed, and When a Runoff Is Possible

YEREVAN, June 5. /ARKA/. On June 7, Armenian citizens will elect a new National Assembly. Eighteen political forces are competing for seats. The results of the vote will determine not only the distribution of seats in parliament, but also whether the winner will be able to form a government, how many votes will be needed to elect a prime minister, and whether a runoff will be necessary. We explain how Armenia's electoral system works and what scenarios are possible after the polls close. As a reminder, the political forces are represented on the ballots under the following numbers:

Reformist Party (number one and candidate for Prime Minister – Vahan Babayan) - 1.

Democratic Party "I am against everyone" (Spartak Kyureghyan) - 2.

Strong Armenia Bloc ("Strong Armenia", "New Era", "United Armenians") (Samvel Karapetyan) - 3.

Meritocratic Party of Armenia (Gurgen Simonyan) - 4.

Reformist Party "New Force" (Hayk Marutyan) - 5.

Wings of Unity Party (Arman Tatoyan) - 6.

Prosperous Armenia Party (Gagik Tsarukyan) - 7.

Pan-Armenian National Democratic Pole Party (Varuzhan Avetisyan) - 8.

Kochari - National Revival and Awakening of the Nation" (Artak Sargsyan) - 9.

Armenian National Congress Party (Levon Zurabyan) - 10.

Republic Party (Aram Sargsyan) - 11.

Christian Democratic Party (Levon Shirinyan) - 12.

Democratic Union Party (Suren Petrosyan) - 14.

Democracy, Law, Order (DLO) Party (Vardan Ghukasyan) - 15.

Civil Contract Party (Nikol Pashinyan) - 16.

Armenia Bloc of Parties - ARF Dashnaktsutyun, the center-right Forward Party (Robert Kocharyan) - 17.

In the Name of the Republic - Defenders of Democracy Party (Arman Babajanyan) - 18.

Bright Armenia Party (Edmond Marukyan) -19.

The total number of voters included in Armenia's electoral register is 2,505,102. Voting will be held at 2,005 polling stations.

Turnout: Elections will be held regardless of the number of voters.

There is no minimum turnout threshold for parliamentary elections in Armenia. This means that the elections are considered valid regardless of the number of citizens who voted.

Following the election results, the Central Electoral Commission decides on the distribution of mandates, holding a re-run of voting at individual polling stations, or declaring the elections invalid in cases expressly provided by law. There is no minimum turnout requirement among the grounds for declaring the elections valid.

How many deputies are in the National Assembly?

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the National Assembly consists of at least 101 deputies.

Parliament is elected by a proportional electoral system. The Electoral Code provides for special mandates for representatives of four national minorities: Yazidis, Russians, Assyrians, and Kurds.

In practice, the number of deputies may exceed 101 due to additional mandates allocated to ensure a parliamentary majority, representation of the opposition, and representation of national minorities. How are mandates distributed?

Parties and blocs that have passed the legal threshold are eligible to receive mandates:

· For parties – 4%;

· For blocs consisting of no more than three parties – 8%;

· For blocs of four or more parties – 10%.

If, after applying the threshold, fewer than three political parties enter parliament, the next-highest-ranking parties or blocs also receive mandates, ensuring that at least three political parties are represented in the National Assembly.

Mandates are distributed among the participants in the election proportionally to the number of valid votes cast for each party or bloc.

For simplicity, it can be formulated as follows:

Armenia elects parliament using a proportional system: the more votes a party or bloc receives, the more seats it receives in the National Assembly. The law guarantees the representation of at least three political parties and provides mechanisms for forming a stable parliamentary majority.

Constitutional Majority

To adopt constitutional laws—including the Electoral Code, the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, laws on political parties, referendums, the Constitutional Court of Armenia, and the Human Rights Defender—at least a three-fifths majority of the total number of parliament members is required. With a minimum National Assembly of 101 members, this amounts to 61 votes.

Therefore, if the ruling party has 61 seats, it can independently pass not only ordinary laws but also constitutional laws, which require a 3/5 majority for approval.

To adopt certain constitutional amendments that can be approved by parliament without a referendum, at least a two-thirds majority of the total number of parliament members is required. With a parliament of 101 members, this amounts to a minimum of 68 votes.

How many votes are needed to elect the prime minister?

After the formation of the new National Assembly, the president of the republic appoints the candidate nominated by the parliamentary majority as prime minister. If the position of prime minister becomes vacant, a new head of government is elected by parliament. This requires a majority of votes from all members of the National Assembly. With a minimum membership of 101 members, this means at least 51 votes.

If the nominated candidate is not elected, a repeat vote is held seven days later. If no candidate receives the required majority in the second round, the National Assembly is dissolved by operation of law, after which snap parliamentary elections are called.

When a second round of parliamentary elections is possible

Armenian law provides a special mechanism for ensuring a stable parliamentary majority. If the election results do not result in a majority capable of nominating a prime minister and ensuring a stable government, a second round of voting may be held.

After the preliminary distribution of mandates, the political force (party or bloc) that receives the largest number of seats has the right to form a coalition with other forces that have gained seats in parliament within nine days. To do so, the coalition must hold at least 52% of the mandates and nominate a single candidate for prime minister.

If such a coalition is not formed, the remaining parliamentary forces are given an additional five days to form an alternative majority under the same conditions.

If a parliamentary majority has not been formed by the end of these terms, a runoff election is called.

How the Runoff Round Works

The runoff is held on the 35th day after election day. It involves the two political forces that received the most votes in the first round.

Before the runoff, new political alliances are permitted between parties and blocs that have cleared the electoral threshold, provided they agree on a single prime ministerial candidate.

Following the results of the second round, the winning force is entitled to additional mandates if necessary to form a stable parliamentary majority. As a result, it is guaranteed at least 52% of the seats in the National Assembly.