Armenias ruling party leads in early election results

Armenia’s Central Election Commission Releases Preliminary Results of Parliamentary Election

The Central Election Commission of Armenia has announced the preliminary results of the country’s parliamentary election, with Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party securing 49.81 percent of the vote. The opposition alliance Strong Armenia, led by Samvel Karapetyan, trailed behind with 23.29 percent.

According to the CEC, voter turnout in the election was over 58 percent of eligible voters. The results indicate that Pashinyan’s party has won a majority of seats in parliament, but fell short of securing the two-thirds majority needed to call for a constitutional referendum as part of a peace deal with Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan’s party is seen as a key player in Armenia’s shift towards the West and away from its traditional ally Russia. The prime minister has pledged to continue pursuing rapprochement with Western countries, including the European Union, while also developing relations with Russia.

The opposition alliance Strong Armenia, led by Karapetyan, has rejected the election results as “shameful” and accused the government of electoral violations and repression. Armenia’s Investigative Committee has opened 59 criminal cases over alleged electoral irregularities and detained nine people.

Other opposition forces, including Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia alliance and the Prosperous Armenia party, have also cleared the electoral threshold to enter parliament. The final distribution of parliamentary seats is not yet clear.

The results of the election are seen as a significant development in Armenia’s geopolitics, with Pashinyan’s government seeking to distance itself from Russia and pursue closer ties with the EU and the United States.

Source: Al Jazeera