| Armenian Communist Party | |
| Native Name: | Հայաստանի կոմունիստական կուսակցություն |
| Abbreviation: | HKK |
| Leader: | Tachat Sargsyan |
| Founded: | 29 July 1991 (registered) |
| Headquarters: | Yerevan |
| Predecessor: | Communist Party of Armenia (Soviet Union) |
| Newspaper: | Hayastani Komunist |
| Membership: | 18,000 (self-claimed, 2006)[1] |
| Ideology: | Communism Marxism–Leninism Russophilia[2] Euroscepticism[3] [4] Soviet patriotism |
| Position: | Left-wing to far-left |
| Flag: | Armenian Communist Party logo.svg |
| International: | IMCWP[5] World Anti-Imperialist Platform[6] |
| Youth Wing: | Communist Youth Union of Armenia |
| Affiliation1 Title: | Continental affiliation |
| Affiliation1: | UCP–CPSU |
| Colors: | Red |
| Seats1 Title: | Seats in National Assembly |
| Website: | https://komunist.am/ |
| Country: | Armenia |
The Armenian Communist Party (hy|Հայաստանի կոմունիստական կուսակցություն, ՀԿԿ; Hayastani Komunistakan Kusaktsutyun, HKK) is a communist party in Armenia. It considers itself the successor to the Armenian branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It is the main communist party in Armenia and claimed 18,000 (mostly elderly) members in 2006.[1] HKK publishes Hayastani Komunist and Pravda Armenii.
It should not be confused with the historical Communist Party of Armenia during the Soviet era, nor the Democratic Party of Armenia, a party founded by the last secretary of the Communist Party of Armenia, Aram G. Sargsyan.
The title of the party leader is First Secretary.
In a 1994 rally, the party called for "a new union with Russia", calling it Armenia's "only salvation."
The party's programme in 1999 included:[7]
In 2001, the party and several thousand supporters advocated Armenia's membership into the Union State of Russia and Belarus.[8] They continued the campaign for Armenia's membership into the union with Russia and Belarus in 2002.[9] The party was described as "staunchly pro-Russian" by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in 2002.[10]
At a 2006 rally, the party's slogan was "Down with America, Always with Russia."[11]
In 2011, party members marched through downtown Yerevan towards the square named after Stepan Shahumyan, an early Armenian communist revolutionary. They held banners reading "Socialism", "Long Live the Communist Party of Armenia", "Down with Capitalism", and "Forever with Russia". Its leader, Ruben Tovmasyan, stated: "History has proved that Armenia cannot live without Russia. The moment the Russian flag stops flying in Gyumri [a reference to [[Russian 102nd Military Base|Russian troops stationed in Armenia]]] Armenia will start moving towards its end as the enemy will be quick to attack us. The Communist Party of Armenia has always been in favor of consolidation among fraternal peoples."[12]
The party supported the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)[13] and in 2013 welcomed Armenia's accession into the EEU as a "prelude to the restoration of the Soviet Union."
The party also opposes any further European integration of Armenia.[4]
The party supported the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It staged a demonstration in support of Russia's "special military operation" to "demilitarise and denazify" Ukraine on March 4.[14]
The party remained a significant political force in the 1990s under its charismatic leader Sergey Badalyan, who died in 1999.[15] The party's 1994 May Day rally attracted some 10,000 to 60,000 supporters.[16]
While it received only 12.4% of the vote in the July 1995 election, opinion polls both before and after the vote showed significantly more public support for the party. In a November 1994 poll, 40.1% of respondents backed the party and 37.6% did in a November 1995 poll.[17]
In 2003, the Renewed Communist Party of Armenia opted to merge with the Armenian Communist Party.
The Armenian Communist Party has contested in every parliamentary election, but has failed to pass the 5% threshold since 2003. In 2003, the party accused the government of "mass falsifications."[18] The party boycotted the 2018 Armenian parliamentary election for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
| Year | Votes | % | Total seats | +/– | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 93,353 | 12.4% | New | 3rd | ||
| 1999 | 130,161 | 12% | 2nd | |||
| 2003 | 24.991 | 2.1% | 10 | 11th | ||
| 2007 | 8,792 | 0.7% | 14th | |||
| 2012 | 15,899 | 1.45% | ||||
| 2017 | 11,745 | 0.75% | ||||
| 2018 | Boycott[19] | |||||
| 2021 | Boycott[20] | |||||