Von der Leyen and “Democratic Armenia”: When EU Rhetoric Diverges from the Facts

Following Nikol Pashinyan's victory, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated him and stated that the EU highly values its partnership with a "democratic Armenia" that is increasingly drawing closer to Europe. Under normal circumstances, such a phrase might sound like a diplomatic compliment. However, following elections accompanied by hundreds of reports of violations, criminal cases, detentions, and critical assessments from observers, it takes on a completely different meaning. Brussels did not just support the winner—it effectively granted the problematic electoral process a seal of European approval. RBC writes about this, as reported by UNN.

The victory of the pro-Western Pashinyan has strengthened Armenia's foreign policy pivot toward the EU; however, a European course does not automatically equate to the emergence of democracy.

On election day, Armenia's Investigative Committee reported the opening of 59 criminal cases on charges of election-related violations. The following day, the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that 619 reports of violations were recorded during the voting: cases of double voting, violations of ballot secrecy, obstruction of the exercise of electoral rights, voter bribery, and interference in the electoral process. As of the morning of June 8, 18 people had been detained, and another 322 reports of violations are under review. Among the hundreds detained, there was not a single representative of the pro-government forces.

The independent monitoring mission "The Independent Observer Alliance," whose observers visited 1,906 out of 2,005 polling stations, recorded that problems were identified at 44% of polling stations—essentially every second one—which aligns poorly with the image of a "democratic" vote. Another local monitoring mission, "Hayakve," recorded that deceased individuals were present on the voter lists.

According to the preliminary statement of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) following the observation of the parliamentary elections in Armenia: "The campaign was highly confrontational, accompanied by divisive rhetoric, and marked by allegations of voter bribery and other violations of electoral legislation, leading to numerous criminal cases against opposition candidates and activists."

Farah Karimi, Special Coordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, stated: "The concentration of arrests and criminal prosecutions against opposition figures contributed to a perception of selective justice, while a polarized information space, inflammatory rhetoric, disinformation, as well as constant external pressure, undermined Armenia's democratic resilience and the integrity of public debate."

Against the backdrop of these facts, the EU's position on Armenia looks absurd. On June 8, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his victory and added: "We highly value our partnership with democratic Armenia, which is increasingly drawing closer to Europe." Given such a number of violations, calling these elections "democratic" sounds like a mockery.

In politics, words carry weight, especially when spoken by the leadership of the European Commission. To call Armenia democratic at a moment when there are serious questions regarding the electoral process means shifting the focus from principles to political convenience. The EU could have spoken of partnership without ignoring the violations. But the chosen rhetoric showed otherwise: for Brussels, Yerevan's pro-Western course proved more important than caution in assessing democracy. This weakens trust in the European language of values itself.