The ruling party of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan receives over 50% of the votes in the parliamentary elections in Armenia. Preliminary results indicate that the current head of government retains a mandate to continue the course of reforms and rapprochement with the European Union.
The "Civil Contract" party of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is leading in the parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results after processing nearly a third of the ballots.
According to the Central Electoral Commission, the ruling political force is gaining 51.2% of the votes. Its closest competitor, the opposition party "Strong Armenia" led by businessman Samvel Karapetyan, is receiving about 23%.
Two more opposition forces are also entering the new parliament. The "Armenia Alliance" of former President Robert Kocharyan is gaining 9.9% of the votes, while the "Prosperous Armenia" party led by Gagik Tsarukyan is at 4.1%.
Voter turnout in the elections was nearly 59%, indicating a high public interest in voting.
These elections were viewed as one of the most significant political events in recent years in Armenia. In fact, voters were asked to determine the future direction of the country — whether to continue Nikol Pashinyan's course or to strengthen the influence of forces advocating for closer ties with Russia.
Importantly, even after the deterioration of relations with Moscow, Pashinyan has not announced a break in allied ties with Russia. Instead, he advocates for a so-called balanced foreign policy, which involves developing relations simultaneously with the West and regional partners.
During the election campaign, Pashinyan repeatedly emphasized that his main goal remains to strengthen the country's independence, develop democratic institutions, and promote reforms with the support of the European Union.
At the same time, the Prime Minister linked the outcome of the elections to the future relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to him, the voting was a choice between continuing the peace process and the risk of returning to a new military conflict.
Particular attention to the elections was also drawn from outside Armenia. Against the backdrop of a noticeable cooling of relations between Yerevan and Moscow, Russian authorities did not hide their concern about the political course of the Armenian leadership.
A day before the voting, Armenian law enforcement agencies reported the detention of 40 individuals on suspicion of bribing voters. Among those detained were representatives of the "Strong Armenia" party.
Although the vote counting is still ongoing, the published results indicate that Pashinyan maintains strong positions and has the opportunity to continue implementing his political course in the coming years.
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