Armenia's Pashinyan wins election, observers allege Russian interference

Armenia's governing civic undertake company won an election seen as a examine of its manipulation of a peace deal with Azerbaijan and its growing turn to the West, despite what international election observers called blatant interference and pressure by Russia.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's party won 49.8 per cent of votes with all polling stations counted from Sunday's vote, enough to secure a parliamentary majority under Armenia's electoral system, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Monday.

The results, based on a strong turnout of nearly 59 per cent, also showed a better-than-expected tally for the two main pro-Russian opposition groups, which won a combined 31 per cent of votes and are set to enter parliament.

International election monitors said the run-up to voting was marked by efforts by traditional patron Russia to influence the outcome.

"Russia exercised unprecedented pressure, using public threats and trade measures, trying to substantially alter the results of the election," said Edita Estrella of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe observer mission.

"As members of the European Parliament, we strongly condemn this blatant interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state."

Russia accused the West of interfering in the vote and joined Armenia's opposition in alleging election violations.

"There is clearly broad demand within Armenian society for the steady development of Russian-Armenian ties," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Sunday's vote was Armenia's first parliamentary election since a 2023 war in which Azerbaijan retook Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway territory that had an ethnic  Armenian population.

Pashinyan's victory will boost his efforts to diversify Armenia's allies and trading partners away from Russia and more towards Western countries. Key to that effort is securing a peace deal with Azerbaijan and normalizing relations with Azerbaijan's ally Turkey.

Azerbaijan's crackdown on Nagorno-Karabakh

Pashinyan hailed a "historic victory" and pledged to continue building ties with both the West and Russia, while some opposition groups cried foul.

"The Armenian people voted for regional prosperity and co-operation and I hope this will draw a positive response from Turkey and Azerbaijan," he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Pashinyan and said Armenia could count on European support, saying on X: "We deeply value our partnership with a democratic Armenia that is drawing ever closer to Europe."

But Pashinyan has not secured the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to call a constitutional referendum demanded as part of a peace deal by Azerbaijan and to re-open the border and restart trade with Turkey.

Azerbaijan wants Armenia to amend its constitution to remove what it says is an implicit claim on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Zaur Shiriyev, a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, said it was unclear whether Azerbaijan would want to move forward with the peace process if Armenia failed to call a referendum on amending its constitution.

"The [Armenian] government would then face a very difficult domestic situation," Shiriyev said. "Co-operation with the opposition on such a sensitive issue is almost impossible."

Opposition alliances Strong Armenia and Armenia Alliance won 23.2 per cent and 9.9 per cent of the vote respectively, the CEC said. A fourth party, Prosperous Armenia, failed to meet the 4 per cent threshold to enter parliament.

Election observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said voting went smoothly in most areas, but that prosecutions of opposition figures before the vote contributed to perceptions of selective justice.

Arrests before the election targeted the opposition, including parliamentary candidates for Strong Armenia. Party founder Samvel Karapetyan, who is under house arrest and campaigned on close ties with Moscow, said more than 700 people associated with the group had been detained.

The Armenia Alliance, led by former pro-Russian president Robert Kocharyan, said Pashinyan's early victory claim constituted "pressure on the CEC and usurpation of power," Russian news agency Interfax reported.

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