Strong Armenia awaits PAP vote recounts to announce its next steps

ArmInfo.Samvel Karapetyan's "Strong Armenia" bloc will announce its next steps after it becomes  clear whether businessman Gagik Tsarukyan's "Prosperous Armenia" party will enter parliament. This was announced by Narek Karapetyan, the bloc's leader, a member of the political council and head of the  "Strong Armenia" electoral list.

He stated that the recount is still ongoing, the results of which  will determine whether the PAP will achieve the 4% parliamentary  threshold. "Then we'll see whether the opposition will have the  opportunity to voice its opinion when parliament elects the  Prosecutor General and other officials. It will be clear whether  parliament will have the tools to oppose and resist lawlessness,  given that the authorities have lost many seats. We're waiting for  the results of the PAP vote, after which we'll issue a statement,"  Karapetyan said.  He further noted that if the opposition succeeds in  ensuring that its opinion is taken into account when appointing  judges, then the issue of political prisoners in the country can be  resolved. If not, he added, they will issue another statement.

At the same time, he noted that there are two options for changing  the government in Armenia: elections or street struggle through  constitutional means. "As a result of the street struggle, it is  necessary for the parliamentary majority to vote for changes. One  question arises. Today, it is historically necessary for eight Civil  Contract MPs to change their position - and Pashinyan will lose his  seat. Of course, this is difficult after the elections, but we see a  great opportunity here in the next five years," Karapetyan concluded  in a message on his Facebook page.

As a reminder, regular parliamentary elections were held in Armenia  on June 7, 2026. Voter turnout was 58.97%. According to preliminary  data from the Central Election Commission of Armenia, Nikol  Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party, Samvel Karapetyan's Strong  Armenia bloc, and second president Robert Kocharyan's Armenia bloc  are all in parliament. The remaining candidates' results are below  the required threshold of 4% for parties and 8-10% for blocs.  Notably, businessman Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia Party lost  its 4% margin of victory after the Central Election Commission  adjusted the preliminary vote counts for the June 7 parliamentary  elections. As a result, the party will not be included in the new  parliament.

It should be noted that on election day, observers and journalists  reported numerous violations by the ruling party during the voting  process from early morning. Thus, Pashinyan's party has the  opportunity to single- handedly form the country's government by  securing a majority of seats in the Armenian parliament. This was  announced solemnly by Pashinyan himself, late at night, when data  from only about 10% of polling stations had been processed.