The Kaluga micro-sultan was deceived. What happened, and why was Nikol Pashinyan re-elected?
24-06-2026 19:36 Armenia Press of Diaspora
armtimes.com In all these post-election discussions, we have yet to see in-depth studies that would note the tectonic changes occurring in the mindset and political culture of Armenian society.
A significant part of the analytical field, guided by old templates or political expediency, often refuses to see the new realities that have formed since the Velvet Revolution of 2018 and found their reflection in the parliamentary elections of June 7, 2026.
There is much talk about the alleged bribery of society by the authorities and the use of administrative resources, yet there is no real evidence or clear discussion.
Can you imagine, in a country where being in opposition is not only fashionable but also well-paid, there was not a single administrative worker who could substantiate that they received a clear directive from the authorities to organize something?
If we try to give an objective and sober political assessment of the elections, then Nikol Pashinyan's and the "Civil Contract" party's next victory is based on several key factors.
Let us try to list them point by point, but before moving to the points, a few general facts.
The fact that Nikol Pashinyan is a more charismatic leader, has a more sophisticated, persuasive, and quality speech is not even up for discussion. There was also another circumstance: Nikol Pashinyan excellently utilized modern propaganda technologies, well-chosen symbols, songs, characters, clothing, and image. In this regard, he was unmatched.
The wear and tear of the bribery institution and the consciousness of the citizen.
Years of gradually formed social consciousness have now yielded results. Previously, the outcome of elections was often determined through local authorities, administrative pressures, and outright bribery. In the past, not only was money given, but someone was also taken to vote for someone. Now, the vast majority of people will not tolerate if someone comes and says, "You must vote for this for my sake." Moreover, the new generation will fight against this, while the old generation may agree but will go to vote for whom they truly want. This is also why the Kaluga micro-sultan said they were deceived. This is what the Prime Minister of Armenia was talking about when he spoke of head sellers. Yes, if there are still head sellers in a society, there can be no democracy there.
Today, for the majority of Armenian voters, selling their own vote has become a rejected and shameful phenomenon. The voter realizes that their vote is the only real tool for forming power and determining the future of the country. Of course, there are still some percentage of people who do not understand this, do not accept it, and try to play the same worn-out game, but fortunately, they are not the majority. Those worn-out figures and their remnants, which are already considered enemies of the interests of the Republic of Armenia, will increasingly be rejected and soon will find themselves in prisons with appropriate consequences. It would be good to subject this mass to strict penalties, especially their group leaders, who took large sums of money from the enemies of the Republic of Armenia under various "clever mechanisms": one under the pretext of renting their territory, another for working somewhere, and the third for providing services to this or that party. Especially, this mass should be punished.
The stabilization of democratic institutions
The elections of 2026 once again confirmed that the electoral institution in Armenia is established. Despite the tensions and the enormous flow of information, the electoral process itself, the counting of votes, and the oversight were transparent. When a citizen is confident that their vote will not be falsified, their participation becomes conscious (by the way, the participation rate was 58.97%, which is higher than in 2018 and 2021). This is also an indicator of an activated society, which is also important. This also shattered one of the opposition's favorite theses, that supposedly with a high percentage of participation, Nikol Pashinyan would not be elected; this too turned out to be false. Even if this was due to external pressures, it is even more encouraging, as it means that the self-awareness of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia is higher than they thought. In other words, the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, seeing that foreign intervention is being organized at the expense of those living abroad, seeing that during the pre-election phase, roads are being closed for Armenian products to enslave us, went to vote to prevent this and showed activity, which they would not have done otherwise. This also speaks of the emerging democratic institutions.
Choice of foreign policy vector
These elections essentially turned into a referendum on the country's strategic direction. The authorities presented an agenda of diversifying foreign policy, rapprochement with the West (EU, USA), and regional peace. Meanwhile, the main opposition forces (for example, the "Strong Armenia" alliance led by Samvel Karapetyan, which received 23.27%, and the "Armenia" alliance with 9.92%) pushed narratives for the restoration of relations with the Russian Federation. The vast majority of the people made a clear choice in favor of strengthening sovereignty and reducing unilateral dependence on Russia. This was, of course, also due to the anti-Armenian policies pursued by the Russian Federation, but there is also a basic issue of self-esteem.
The opposition provoked the Russian Federation to act in a manner that at least a modern conscious person does not accept, and the Russian Federation constantly faces problems for the same reason. We are talking about a strategy that is coercive, intimidating, terrorizing, and threatening. This was clearly a "Hybrid War," where the Russian Federation threatened to block our economic goods, raise gas prices, and so on. And the opposition, using all this, tried to spread fear in our society, but that never works.
Even if you constantly threaten and coerce your own child, nothing will come of it. This brutal Russian policy, which was welcomed and even encouraged internally, angered the Armenian voter even more. All these steps ultimately speak of the establishment of Armenian democracy.
Methodological bankruptcy of the opposition
The opposition continued to apply outdated methods based solely on sharp criticism, former geopolitical templates, and emotional manipulations. They failed to offer the public an alternative, realistic, and understandable model for future development. Not understanding the internal transformation of the public, they became alienated from the main mass of voters.
As the personal-use eye of the rodent said, which, now in the guise of a business lady, gives smart advice, Nikol Pashinyan lived with the image of "I am one of you," while the opposition remains in the image of "We are better than you." Especially after losing the elections, the opposition continues to blame the Armenian voter, naming people who did not vote for them. This game never leads to a good place.
The result of the 2026 elections was not a coincidence or just a technical victory, but a conscious validation by the citizens of Armenia of sovereignty, democracy, and new geopolitical realities.
For supporters of the old system, accepting the bankruptcy of their own methods truly means accepting their political demise, which is why objective analyses in the media are so scarce. And the fact that they repeat like a worn-out tape that supposedly Nikol Pashinyan won in the regions and lost in Yerevan contains no nonsense, there is nothing bad in this. First, it is a natural phenomenon that the ruling authorities do not receive a large percentage in the centers of the capital. It is normal because the centers are mainly inhabited by the wealthy, intellectuals, and artists who have higher standards regarding life demands and quality.
However, in our case, there is another reason: at least half of the population of central Yerevan consists of people enjoying the fruits of "Armenian wild capitalism" from the past two decades, so-called "Birdanaghans." It is natural that these people would not vote for a government that wants to take away their illegally earned property and wealth. But, in the end, even in the most central areas, more than a third of voters voted for Nikol Pashinyan, which means that a significant portion of classical intellectuals and artists made the right choice.
The most important aspect here is that Nikol Pashinyan was mainly elected in the regions, especially in border regions. Of course, there were various absurd assessments here as well, but they are not significant. It is even pointless to address them here. The population of the regions gave such a high percentage of trust to Nikol Pashinyan for another reason. The resident of the region has learned over these years that their voice matters, that the wealthy of their village and neighborhood no longer treat them like animals. Their rights are not violated, and their voice is valued. Their street is being repaired, and night lights are being installed, schools and kindergartens are being built.
Yes, perhaps for someone living in the center of Yerevan, there has always been quality asphalt and well-renovated schools, but for the residents of the regions, this has only been provided by Nikol Pashinyan over the last thirty years, and that is not insignificant. The first part is more important.
After all this, it remains for the "Civil Contract," which received a vote of confidence for the third time, to draw conclusions and first eliminate the metastases threatening the statehood of the Republic of Armenia, and then to give a proper assessment of its work in previous years and draw conclusions from that assessment.
Van Sebastatsi
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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