Kremlin tells Russian media to portray Pashinyan’s election win with under 50% as a ‘loss’ The Russian Presidential administration directed state and pro-Kremlin media to emphasize that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party secured less than 50% of the vote, framing it as a ‘loss.’ Media outlets were also instructed to highlight election violations to undermine the legitimacy of the results. Various Russian news agencies reported on these directives, focusing on the under-50% figure and alleged irregularities.

• Russian Presidential administration advised state and pro-Kremlin media to emphasize Nikol Pashinyan’s party received less than 50% of the vote.
• Media outlets were instructed to frame the election result as Pashinyan’s ‘loss’ and highlight alleged violations.
• Armenia’s Civil Contract party received 49.81% of the vote, securing 61 out of 105 parliamentary seats.
• Russian state-controlled media, including Channel One, Russia 1, NTV, RIA Novosti, TASS, Interfax, Vedomosti, and RBC, covered the election emphasizing the less-than-50% outcome and alleged violations.
• Russian officials, including Peskov and Zakharova, commented on reports of violations during the Armenian election.