Armenian opposition drops boycott threat, will enter parliament

Armenia’s two opposition forces that passed the threshold to enter the National Assembly in last month’s nationwide vote have decided not to boycott parliament.

The Strong Armenia alliance, led by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, and the Armenia alliance, headed by former president Robert Kocharyan, both announced their decisions over the weekend after the Constitutional Court issued its final ruling on Saturday, confirming the election results and rejecting the opposition’s challenge over alleged violations.

“The right decision was to take the mandates in order to ensure parliamentary representation that would support our street struggle,” said Narek Karapetyan, who led Strong Armenia’s election campaign, in a statement on Sunday.

In its own statement, the Armenia alliance said it would use “all possible means” in what it described as an upcoming difficult struggle against the government’s policies.

Both forces had previously said they were considering a full boycott of parliament and refusing to recognize the election outcome. The move would have been similar to the aftermath of Georgia’s 2024 election, when three of the four opposition parties that cleared the threshold opted to boycott the legislature. In a Facebook post on Sunday that explained Strong Armenia’s move not to forfeit parliamentary seats, Narek Karapetyan specifically referenced the Georgian boycott as a measure that turned out to be counterproductive.

Strong Armenia and the Armenia alliance received approximately 23.3% and 9.9% of the vote, respectively, in the June 7 election, securing seats in parliament.

They were joined by three other political forces that failed to meet the electoral threshold – Prosperous Armenia, the Armenian National Congress, and the National Democratic Pole – which issued a joint statement pledging coordinated efforts to oppose the government.

“The Constitutional Court’s decision is not the end of the struggle, but the beginning of a new phase of more systematic, institutional, and broad political resistance,” the statement said.

Also read: Armenia's Constitutional Court upholds election results, ending legal challenge