🇦🇲 Armenia Votes 2026
Armenians are heading to the polls today in one of the most consequential parliamentary elections in the country’s modern history.
The vote will determine the composition of Armenia’s next National Assembly and the government that will lead the nation through a defining period marked by the aftermath of the 2020 Artsakh War, the forced displacement of the Armenian population of Artsakh, ongoing negotiations with Azerbaijan, and growing debates over Armenia’s sovereignty, security, identity and national future.
This is the first regularly scheduled parliamentary election since 2017, following the political upheavals that led to snap elections in 2018 and 2021.
Today, Armenians are not only choosing their representatives, they are helping shape the direction of the Armenian state for years to come.
Live Updates
Note: The Central Electoral Commission’s most recent updates list 2,505,102 eligible voters and 2,005 polling stations nationwide. Earlier figures published by state authorities and election officials cited 2,485,851 eligible voters and 1,997 polling stations. The reason for the discrepancy has not yet been clarified publicly.
🇦🇲 Armenia Votes 2026 – Live Updates
8:00 p.m.
Polling stations across Armenia have officially closed.
Voting has concluded, except for voters who were already waiting in line at their polling stations by the 8:00 p.m. deadline and remain entitled to cast their ballots.
The focus now shifts to the vote count, with ballot boxes set to be opened and results counted across the country.
6:00 p.m.
The Central Electoral Commission reported that as of 5:00 p.m., 1,224,957 voters, or 48.92% of eligible voters, had cast their ballots.
The turnout is significantly higher than at the same point in the 2018 and 2021 parliamentary elections and is approaching the level recorded in 2017.
For comparison:
• 2017 – 1,317,936 voters (50.92%)
• 2018 – 1,025,002 voters (39.54%)
• 2021 – 989,972 voters (38.17%)
The regional breakdown was as follows:
• Syunik – 55.36%
• Vayots Dzor – 54.15%
• Tavush – 53.27%
• Aragatsotn – 51.13%
• Kotayk – 51.01%
• Lori – 49.77%
• Yerevan – 48.52%
• Ararat – 48.43%
• Gegharkunik – 46.86%
• Shirak – 46.23%
• Armavir – 44.80%
5:00 p.m.
Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that its operational command center had received 57 election-related calls through the emergency hotline and dedicated election hotline.
Authorities documented 19 cases of alleged repeat voting, 15 violations of ballot secrecy, two incidents involving the obstruction of voting rights, one suspected case of vote-buying, and one case involving the possession of a bladed weapon at a polling station. All reported incidents have been referred to investigative authorities, and 14 individuals have been detained.
An additional 198 reports of alleged electoral violations remain under review.
The ministry also stated that it continues to monitor election-related reporting in the media and activity across social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Migration and Citizenship Service reported that 1,650 individuals applied to be added to supplementary voter lists, while 916 voters received temporary identity documents enabling them to cast ballots in their respective communities.
3:00 p.m.
The Central Electoral Commission reported that turnout had reached 847,226 voters (33.84%) as of 2:00 p.m.
For comparison:
• 2017 – 865,887 voters (33.45%)
• 2018 – 636,055 voters (24.52%)
• 2021 – 695,628 voters (26.81%)
Although slightly fewer voters have cast ballots than at the same point in 2017, turnout as a percentage of registered voters is higher in 2026, reaching 33.84% compared to 33.45% in 2017.
2:00 p.m.
According to Armenia’s Ministry of Justice, 869 of the 922 individuals currently under house arrest are eligible to vote in today’s parliamentary elections.
More than half, 434 individuals, expressed their intention to participate in the vote, with 205 having already cast ballots by 12:30 p.m. Those under house arrest are escorted to polling stations by law enforcement authorities in order to exercise their right to vote.
Among those currently under house arrest are several high-profile figures, including Samvel Karapetyan, the Russian-Armenian businessman and de facto leader of the Strong Armenia Alliance, and Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan of the Shirak Diocese, who cast his ballot earlier in the day.
1:00 p.m.
According to information released by the Prosecutor General’s Office, as of 1:00 p.m., authorities had received 293 reports concerning alleged crimes related to the electoral process.
Criminal proceedings were initiated in connection with 174 of those reports, resulting in public criminal prosecution being launched against 297 individuals. An additional 14 criminal cases involving 42 individuals have already been transferred to court.
The Prosecutor General’s Office also reported that the Central Electoral Commission has approved 11 requests seeking consent to initiate criminal prosecution against parliamentary candidates. A twelfth request concerning another candidate is expected to be considered in the near future.
12:00 p.m.
The Central Electoral Commission announced that turnout had reached 14.48% (362,657 voters) as of 11:00 a.m., the highest recorded turnout at that point in the day in more than a decade.
For comparison:
• 2017 – 344,714 voters (13.32%)
• 2018 – 201,250 voters (7.76%)
• 2021 – 316,291 voters (12.21%)
The CEC reported that turnout in Yerevan stood at 14.46%, nearly identical to the national average.
Regional turnout rates were as follows:
• Tavush – 17.84%
• Syunik – 17.55%
• Kotayk – 16.02%
• Vayots Dzor – 15.82%
• Aragatsotn – 14.79%
• Lori – 14.44%
• Ararat – 14.33%
• Gegharkunik – 12.98%
• Armavir – 12.63%
• Shirak – 12.60%
11:30 a.m.
At a press conference, Strong Armenia representative Gohar Meloyan alleged that the alliance had documented hundreds of procedural, technical and substantive electoral violations. She claimed that certain political forces were attempting to interfere with the free expression of citizens’ will.
Meloyan stated that proxy representatives from the alliance had been denied access to several polling stations and reported localized power outages and technical problems. She also displayed what she described as defective or intentionally defaced ballot papers, specifically highlighting Strong Armenia’s No. 3 ballot, alleging that the defects may have been intended to invalidate votes during the counting process.
Also at 11:30 a.m., EVN Report editors Maria Titizian and Roubina Margossian released an Election Day primer discussing several of the key narratives and issues that shaped the campaign.
11:00 a.m.
At a press conference, Central Electoral Commission Chair Vahagn Hovakimyan reported that three election commission officials, including two precinct chairs and one secretary, failed to report for duty at their assigned polling stations because they had been arrested as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Hovakimyan stated that while minor technical issues had occurred in some locations, the election process was proceeding normally.
As of 10:40 a.m., 187,917 voters had cast ballots, representing a turnout of 7.56%.
Several election-day irregularities and alleged violations had already been reported across the country.
Ballot Secrecy Concerns
In Vanadzor’s polling station 23/51, one voting booth was reportedly only partially screened with cloth rather than fully enclosed. At polling station 3/13, a voting booth was placed directly beside a doorway, potentially exposing voters if the door were opened. Hayakve also reported a ballot secrecy violation at polling station 8/10.
In Gyumri’s polling station 31/33, voters’ choices were reportedly visible to others present inside the polling station, raising concerns about ballot secrecy and voters’ ability to cast ballots free from observation.
Administrative and Technical Issues
Residents in Yerevan’s Ajapnyak district reported that polling stations 6/3 and 6/50 lacked proper signage, leaving some voters unable to locate the stations and reportedly departing without voting.
Voting at polling station 9/51 was temporarily suspended after voter identification devices produced slips that did not match voter register records, causing delays and a buildup of voters.
Potential Electoral Code Violations
Campaign materials were observed within 50 meters of polling station 10/1.
Hayakve reported that Civil Contract parliamentary candidate Sarik Minasyan was observed speaking with voters at polling station 31/09 despite not being registered to vote there, describing the incident as a clear election violation.
Armen Avetisyan, head of Vardenik, has also been accused of directing voters during the voting process.
Possible Double Voting Case
A possible case of double voting was reported in Vanadzor, where the same individual, reportedly wearing a military uniform, was allegedly seen casting ballots at both polling stations 23/11 and 23/12.
10:00 a.m.
Narek Karapetyan, who leads the electoral list of the opposition Strong Armenia Alliance and is the nephew of its de facto leader Samvel Karapetyan, voted in his native town of Tashir.
He told reporters that he voted for “major change” and for “a country where Armenians are focused on rebuilding their nation rather than tearing each other down, fighting and fracturing society.” He urged citizens to vote, saying otherwise “their fate will be decided for them by someone else.” Karapetyan also stated that “no foreign country should meddle in Armenia’s internal politics.”
Catholicos Karekin II also cast his ballot and said he voted so that God would keep the Armenian state “unshakable” and bless the Armenian people to overcome the difficult challenges facing the nation while building a “powerful, secure, safe, law-abiding and prosperous country.”
Polling stations will remain open until 8:00 p.m., after which vote counting will begin.
8:00 a.m. Polls have opened across Armenia in the country’s parliamentary elections.
According to the Central Electoral Commission, 2,485,851 citizens are eligible to vote at 1,997 polling stations nationwide. A total of 18 political forces, including 16 parties and two alliances, are contesting the election, with 2,103 candidates on the ballot.
Eight international and 13 domestic observation missions are monitoring the vote and will also observe the counting process after polls close at 8:00 p.m.
