RA FM: When political alternative is ousted from parliament, it`s not  opposition that loses, but state

ArmInfo. When a political alternative is ousted from parliament, it's not the opposition that loses, but the system of checks and balances, democracy, and,  ultimately, the state.  In his new article, former Armenian Foreign  Minister and founding member of the Pan-Armenian Council of Diplomats  Ara Ayvazyan responded to the results of the Central Electoral  Commission (CEC) recount, which resulted in the Prosperous Armenia  Party (PAP) not gaining a seat in parliament.

According to Ayvazyan, the CEC's decision, which deprived the PAP of  its parliamentary seat, will have serious consequences that will not  be limited to the fate of just one political force. "It turns out  that in today's Armenia, the citizens' will can be reconsidered by an  administrative decision after the elections.  And if a citizen is  unsure whether their vote will influence the outcome, the legitimacy  of the entire political system is at risk. In fact, it's not just one  specific party that is being ousted from parliament. A political  alternative is also being ousted in matters of foreign policy,  security, and the future of Armenian statehood," reads an article  published by the press service of the Alternative Projects group on  Facebook.

According to the former minister, the campaign against the PAP has  nothing to do with the authorities' false dichotomy between Russia  and the West. Because, as Ayvazyan recalled, the PAP has always  advocated for deepening relations and mutually beneficial cooperation  with both Russia and the West. The real choice, he argued, was made  between different models of security and development for the country.  After all, as the expert recalled, the party has always advocated a  balanced foreign policy based on cooperation with key international  players. "We proceeded from the conviction that Armenia should not  become a platform for geopolitical conflict, but rather a state  capable of building realistic and mutually beneficial relations  across all fronts, guided solely by national interests.

Of particular importance in this regard was the idea of guaranteeing  peace by restoring the disturbed balance in the region. The Armenian  diaspora is also an important component of our approach. Millions of  Armenians living in various countries should serve as a bridge  between Armenia and the countries in which they reside. For this  reason, attempts to portray such a policy as an attempt to become an  "outpost" of some force do not stand up to serious analysis,"  Ayvazyan noted.

The former Armenian Foreign Minister then recalled that democracy is  one of the most effective forms of government not only because it  gives citizens the opportunity to choose their government, but  because security, justice, and stability are ensured by a balance  between branches of government and state institutions. That is, as  Ayvazyan explained, where independent institutions exist, power is  limited by law, and where political competition exists, the  likelihood of strategic mistakes is reduced. Meanwhile, in today's  Armenia, he noted, a disturbing trend is observed, whereby the most  important state decisions are made from a single political center.

"Parliament, the judiciary, and other institutions have lost their  ability to act as a real counterweight to the executive branch. It is  in this environment that decisions emerge that, just a few years ago,  seemed impossible to implement. However, a strong state is not built  on the monopoly of one political force or the indispensability of one  policy. An effective state is built on the competition of ideas, the  presence of diverse approaches to security and development, and the  ability of society to democratically correct the government's  mistakes," emphasized the founding member of the Pan-Armenian Council  of Diplomats.

That is why, as Ayvazyan noted, the question is not so much about the  election results, but about what Armenia will be like tomorrow. In  other words, as the diplomat explained, the question now is between a  state in which there is room for pluralism of opinions and in which  different political forces can participate in decision-making, or a  state in which the political system is becoming increasingly  dependent on decisions made by a single center.

"History shows that democracy doesn't weaken only when elections are  formally cancelled. It also weakens when superficial democratic  procedures are observed, but political balance, competition, and real  constraints on power gradually disappear. For this reason, today  we're talking about more than just one party. We're talking about  upholding the principles that ensure the stability of Armenian  statehood. After all, when a political alternative is ousted from  parliament, it's not the opposition that loses. The system of checks  and balances fails. Democracy loses. And, ultimately, the state  loses. At the same time, the Constitutional Court still has an  exceptional chance to restore justice, but to do so, it must  recognize these realities," Ayvazyan concluded.

As a reminder, regular parliamentary elections were held in Armenia  on June 7, 2026. On June 14, Central Election Commission Chairman  Vahagn Hovakimyan presented the final results of the parliamentary  elections. According to him, the Civil Contract Party won seats in  the Armenian parliament with 49.7456% of the vote, Samvel  Karapetyan's Strong Armenia bloc won 23.2710%, and second president  Robert Kocharyan's Armenia bloc won 9.9231%. Gagik Tsarukyan's  Prosperous Armenia Party failed to pass the 4% parliamentary  threshold following a recount, receiving only 3.9893%.

Tsarukyan's party failed to pass the threshold after the Central  Election Commission annulled the results of three polling stations  where Tsarukyan's party received more than 200 votes. Thus, according  to Hovakimyan, the mandates were distributed as follows: Pashinyan's  party received 64 mandates, achieving a constitutional majority of  3/5 in parliament. Karpetyan's bloc received 29 mandates, and  Kocharyan's bloc received 12 mandates. Thus, the Civil Contract party  has a 3/5 majority, which allows it to pass constitutional laws and  make appointments, but it lacks the 2/3 majority necessary to  directly amend the Armenian Constitution.