Armenia’s electoral authority confirmed this Sunday, 14, that the party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan won the general election seen as a vote on the country’s geopolitical future and a test of Russia’s influence in this South Caucasus nation. The election took place last Sunday and Pashinyan had already declared himself the winner on Monday, the 8th.
Pashinyan’s government seeks closer relations with the European Union and the United States, despite his critics pointing to his long-standing ties with Russia.
The final results released by the Central Electoral Commission showed that the ruling Contract Civil party won with 49.7% of the vote, allowing it to form the government. The pro-Russian opposition party Armenia Strong had asked the commission to annul the results, citing alleged “widespread violations” during the vote. Armenia Forte and other opposition parties held a rally in front of the Central Election Commission as it met to finalize the election results.
The gap between the announcement of the preliminary results on Monday and the final results gave parties the opportunity to file complaints about any perceived irregularities.
Samvel Karapetyan, billionaire leader of Armenia Forte – who made his fortune in Russia – is currently under house arrest, after being accused of advocating the overthrow of the government. Karapetyan denies the accusation, which he described as politically motivated. Source: Associated Press
