PM Pashinyan’s party wins Armenia election, preliminary results show
Summary
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won Armenia’s parliamentary election with about 50% of the vote, according to preliminary results. The election tested Pashinyan’s efforts to move Armenia closer to the West and away from Russia while handling a peace deal with Azerbaijan.Key Facts
- Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party received 49.81% of the vote.
- The main opposition, Strong Armenia, led by Samvel Karapetyan, came second with 23.29%.
- Voter turnout was over 58% of eligible voters.
- Pashinyan seeks to reorient Armenia’s foreign policy toward the European Union and the West.
- Strong Armenia’s leader Karapetyan is under house arrest for alleged political crimes and claimed election violations.
- Armenia’s Investigative Committee opened 59 criminal cases related to election violations and detained nine people.
- Two other opposition parties, Armenia alliance and Prosperous Armenia, also entered parliament.
- Pashinyan did not secure the two-thirds majority needed for a constitutional referendum tied to a peace deal with Azerbaijan.
- Armenia has distanced itself from a Russia-led security bloc while strengthening ties with the EU and the US.
- European leaders, including the EU chief and France’s president, praised Armenia’s election results and closer relationship with Europe.
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