YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia’s polling authority on Sunday confirmed that the party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan won a general election seen as a vote on its geopolitical future and a test of Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus country.
Pashinyan’s government is seeking closer relations with the European Union and the United States despite longstanding ties with Russia that have been championed by his critics.
Final results issued by the Central Electoral Commission for the ballot held on June 7 showed the ruling Civil Contract party won 49.7% of the vote, and it will be able to form a government.
The pro-Russian opposition Strong Armenia party had appealed to the commission to annul the results, citing alleged “widespread violations” during the vote. Strong Armenia and other opposition parties held a rally in front of the Central Electoral Commission while it was meeting to finalize the election results.
The gap between the announcement on June 8 of the preliminary results and the final results gave parties the opportunity to log complaints on any perceived irregularities.
Polling observers for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said Armenian voters had been offered a “genuine choice” but that the election had been conducted against a background of “highly confrontational...divisive rhetoric” and “uneven campaign opportunities.” Armenian investigators had issued six arrest warrants for members of Strong Armenia on the eve of polling day, accusing them of buying votes.
Samvel Karapetyan, the billionaire leader of Strong Armenia — who made his fortune in Russia — is currently under house arrest after being accused of advocating for the government’s overthrow.
Karapetyan has denied the charge which he has described as politically motivated.
Armenia’s National Assembly must consist of at least 101 members elected for five-year terms. The parties must win at least 4% of the vote to enter, while blocs made up of three or more parties must hit 8%.
Civil Contract's share of the vote entitles it to 64 seats in the assembly, with Strong Armenia on 29 seats and the Armenia Alliance, led by former President Robert Kocharyan, with 12 seats.
Geopolitical issues took center stage during the election campaign.
“The European Union is our main partner in democratic reform implementation, and we will continue that path,” Pashinyan said as he cast his vote on June 7. Armenia last year officially declared its aspirations to join the EU.
Most opposition parties, including Strong Armenia, campaigned on a pro-Russian platform.
Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, has warned that Yerevan’s Western turn could have dire political and economic consequences. President Vladimir Putin has compared Armenia’s course to that of Ukraine in thinly veiled threats and has suggested Russia’s conflict with Ukraine started with its attempts to join the EU.
Moscow introduced a raft of trade sanctions in the weeks running up to the vote — imposing import bans on Armenian flowers, certain types of cognac and wine, eggplant, potatoes, dried fruits, fish and more — in a move described by the OSCE election monitors as “direct pressure” on Armenia’s vote. Russia said the bans were related to violations of agricultural import rules.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has accused Russia of “weaponizing” economic relations and described the ban on Armenian imports as “nothing short of economic coercion.” She said the EU would send 50 million euros ($58 million) to support Armenia.
Relations between Moscow and Armenia soured as Azerbaijan retook control of the Karabakh region. The mountainous area had been controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia, part of a long conflict between the neighboring countries.
Armenia accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to the region of failing to stop Azerbaijan’s onslaught. Moscow, busy with the war in Ukraine, has rejected the accusations.
Pashinyan has begun cautiously weakening ties with Moscow, joining the International Criminal Court in 2023 and suspending Armenia's participation in the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024.
Armenia also hosted the European Political Community summit and its first summit with the EU in Yerevan in early May.
In August 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to sign a deal aimed at ending their decades-long conflict and including provisions for the creation of a new transit corridor from Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan.
Supporters of Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party leading by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hold up heart signs while gathering in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, June 5, 2026, for the party's final campaign rally ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan speaks at his Armenia Ruling Civil Contract party headquarters after parliamentary elections in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump emerged from the Oval Office first, then fighters from around the globe followed straight into the fight cage, in part for the president’s 80th birthday celebration and to bring a sport long on the fringe of mainstream acceptance into a main event spot on the White House South Lawn.
UFC was in DC on Sunday night, a most improbable all-American setting for a fight promotion that long ago shed the “human cockfighting” tag and decades later became entwined with the emboldened right-wing “ manosphere ” that soaks up UFC fights and threw its support behind Trump in two elections.
Trump and UFC boss Dana White walked from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to chants of “USA! USA!” during the Freedom 250 fight night jacked up by a dose of high-octane patriotism on a blustery night for cage fighting.
This was no Easter Egg Roll.
Ring announcer Bruce Buffer busted out star-spangled threads for the occasion: gold stars on the outside of his suit coat and mini American flags stitched inside. UFC’s ring girls, who normally parade around the cage in skimpy outfits, were covered up for a more PG-rated fight night, dressed in more full-body outfits, some that flowed past the knee or to the ground and incorporated the American flag into the designs.
The Marine Band played from in front of the White House and Zac Brown sang the national anthem — which is never played before normal UFC fight cards because of the mix of nationalities fighting inside the Octagon. The Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds zipped overhead as part of a flyover.
The 4,000-plus fans — which included Mark Zuckerberg and David Ellison — on the South Lawn who sat under the claw, the flying saucer-type, open-air structure that housed the cage, mostly sat on their hands until the fighters used theirs to deliver furious fists and smackdowns that got them on their feet.
Bo Nickal delivered the red, white and boom when the three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State earned the TKO win over middleweight Kyle Daukaus and immediately bolted the Octagon for a cage-side chat with Trump. Nickal met Trump in 2019 during a ceremony at the White House for collegiate national champions.
Nickal thanked Trump after the easy night of work for bringing UFC to the White House.
“First and foremost, I have to thank President Trump for making this happen,” Nickal said inside the cage. “This is unbelievable."
The first blight of the night for Trump came when American heavyweight Derrick Lewis lost his fight after he got a personal invitation from the president. Trump proclaimed himself a fan of Lewis and his unconventional celebrations and asked White to add him to the card. Josh Hokit instead improved to 10-0 when he flattened Lewis by TKO.
More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor were poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn, and the looming threat of rain that threw White into a tizzy each time a miserable forecast was raised never materialized over the early portions of the card.
Fight night came only hours after the United States and Iran reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began.
UFC had seven fights with all male fighters under the Freedom 250 banner to celebrate Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.
Alex Pereira of Brazil will meet Ciryl Gane of France for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria then takes on interim champ Justin Gaethje in the main event.
The rare UFC outdoors event marked the pinnacle of the relationship between White and Trump that has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties. White's first card as UFC president came in 2001 at an event held at Trump Taj Mahal.
Trump has attended four UFC cards as sitting president, walking to the cage amid rock music and patriotic chants from fans. White introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions.
Trump got a home game for this one, making the short walk from the Oval Office to the Octagon, much like the fighters who were flanked by first responders and medal of honor recipients, among others.
Thousands more outside the White House lawn watched the fights on big screens from the nearby Ellipse, though not everyone was able to get tickets.
Even one of UFC's champions.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse event by a group of police officers.
U.S. Park Police said in a statement that Strickland’s presence drew enough attention from attendees that it resulted in disorder. He wasn’t cited or arrested, they said. Instead, he was taken to his hotel and told not to come back to the venue.
Once a vocal supporter of Trump, Strickland has recently said on social media that he was not invited to participate in the event at the White House because he is an outspoken critic of Israel.
White has rejected Strickland’s accusation that he was banned from UFC Freedom 250 events.
AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts
President Donald Trump talks with first lady Melania Trump at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Bo Nickal, top, fights against Kyle Daukaus during their middleweight bout at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump and Dana White, UFC president and CEO, arrive for UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A joint forces honor guard stands during the National Anthem before UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Diego Lopes is introduced during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House from the top of the Washington Monument on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump and Dana White, UFC president and CEO, arrive on the Blue Room Balcony for the National Anthem before UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump walks with UFC president and CEO Dana White through the Cross Hall of the White House before attending the UFC Freedom 250 fights on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
Army soldiers hold a grappling demonstration during the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool Photo via AP)
Storm clouds move above the Washington Monument ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool Photo via AP)
UFC president and CEO Dana White, center, with Ilia Topuria, left, and Justin Gaethje, right, during the ceremonial UFC Freedom 250 weigh-ins on the Ellipse, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Washington, ahead of Sunday's fight on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) CORRECTION: Changes name from Joe Rogan to Dana White.
The arena for the UFC Freedom 250 fights is pictured on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
UFC commentator Joe Rogan during the ceremonial UFC Freedom 250 weigh-ins on the Ellipse, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Washington, ahead of Sunday's fight on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The arena for the UFC Freedom 250 fights is pictured on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
UFC commentator Joe Rogan, center, with Ilia Topuria, left, and Justin Gaethje, right, during the ceremonial UFC Freedom 250 weigh-ins on the Ellipse, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Washington, ahead of Sunday's fight on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
