Under the new format, those wishing to be included on the party list must first self-nominate. Party members can apply directly, while non-members will need the endorsement of a member of the party’s board. Candidates who pass this stage will be required to pay a participation fee — 500,000 drams ($1,300) for party members and 1.5 million drams ($3,900) for non-members.
However, payment will not guarantee a place on the final list. The ranking will be determined through a primary vote among party members.
Explaining the process, lawmaker Sisak Gabrielian said: “Party members will take a vote. The nominees who get the highest number of votes will be at the top of the list.”
The first Civil Contract member to announce his self-nomination was Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, the leader of the party. He was followed by Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan and Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian, both of whom are members of the ruling party’s board. All three made their announcements in Facebook posts.
Some opposition figures and analysts have described the process within the ruling party taking place nearly seven months before the next parliamentary elections as a possible sign of plans for an early vote.
Civil Contract representatives, however, have largely ruled out a snap election. Officials have mentioned June 7 as a possible election date.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Sargis Khandanian said the self-nomination process reflects the ruling team’s “sense of responsibility and desire to present themselves properly to the public.”
Still, political analyst Hakob Badalian suggested that the ruling party may not have completely abandoned the idea of holding snap elections. He argued that the early campaign-style activity could be linked to recent shifts in the political landscape, including Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetian’s entry into politics.
“It’s entirely possible that Pashinian wants to move ahead while Karapetian has not yet fully formed his political force,” Badalian said. “The element of surprising the opposition could be part of Pashinian’s motivation for early elections.”
Karapetian was arrested in June and remanded into pre-trial custody on charges of allegedly threatening to overthrow the government. The wealthy businessman, who also faces charges of large-scale fraud, tax evasion and money laundering, rejects the accusations as politically motivated. From jail Karapetian announced plans to set up a political party to challenge the Pashinian government in next year’s elections. His supporters, including his nephew Narek Karapetian, said the party could be established as early as January.
Despite opposition claims that Pashinian and his government have failed in both foreign and domestic policies and no longer enjoy popular support, the prime minister and his allies remain confident they will once again secure a parliamentary majority in the next elections.
Pashinian believes much of the support will come from his party’s peace agenda with Azerbaijan.
“The 2026 elections are important for the peace process,” he said while attending an international peace forum in Paris last week.
“I have no doubt that the citizens of Armenia will support the peace agenda, the peace process, and the established peace,” Pashinian added, referring to U.S.-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements reached in Washington in August.
Opposition leaders, meanwhile, maintain that those agreements will not bring real peace, arguing that further concessions by Pashinian only encourage Baku to make more demands jeopardizing Armenia’s very existence as a viable state.