Pashinyan floats snap election to secure constitutional referendum

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced Thursday that the ruling Civil Contract party may call a snap parliamentary election in an attempt to secure enough seats to initiate a constitutional referendum needed to move forward with signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan.

“We will soon publish the draft constitution, launch public discussions and submit it to parliament. We will try to convince the opposition that this is an important and fundamental issue concerning the long-term future of Armenia’s statehood,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing.

“We will try to convince them, but if we fail, we may try a different solution, such as a snap election,” he added. “I have obligations to the citizens of Armenia, both regarding constitutional amendments and the signing and ratification of the peace treaty.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a U.S.-mediated peace declaration in August 2025. However, a comprehensive peace treaty intended to end decades of hostilities between the countries remains unsigned.

Baku has demanded that Armenia amend its constitution, arguing that it contains a reference to Nagorno-Karabakh that constitutes an unacceptable territorial claim. Armenia’s 1995 constitution does not directly mention Karabakh but refers to the 1990 Declaration of Independence, which states that Armenia and Karabakh should be unified.

Pashinyan’s government has rejected Azerbaijan’s demand but plans to adopt a new constitution regardless, insisting the initiative is unrelated to Baku’s requirements. The draft was initially expected by the end of March, but the deadline was later pushed back to the end of 2026.

Also read: EXPLAINER: What’s behind Armenia’s potential constitutional changes?

In June’s parliamentary election, Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won 64 of 105 seats, six short of the two-thirds supermajority required to initiate a constitutional referendum. Opposition forces Strong Armenia and the Armenia Alliance, who control the remaining seats, have said they would not support one.

Armenian law allows snap elections if the prime minister resigns and parliament fails to elect a successor after two attempts. Civil Contract’s simple majority would allow it to trigger this process.

Armenia previously held snap elections in 2021, after Pashinyan resigned following the country’s defeat in the 2020 Karabakh war and the ensuing political crisis. Civil Contract won 71 of 107 seats in that election.