PM Pashinyan declares early victory in Armenia's parliamentary election
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has declared a "historic victory" in the country's parliamentary election while ballot counting continues.
Pashinyan declared victory on Monday after preliminary results from around 21 percent of polling stations showed his Civil Contract party receiving about 54 percent of the vote.
Speaking at a news conference in the early hours of Monday morning, he described the outcome as a "historic victory."
According to the early results, the pro-Russian Strong Armenia Alliance placed second with 21.9 percent of the vote.
The Armenia Alliance followed with 8.7 percent, while the Prosperous Armenia party was in fourth place with about five percent.
Samvel Karapetyan, founder of the Strong Armenia alliance and one of Pashinyan's main challengers, campaigned on a pro-business platform during the election race.
Voter turnout was strong, reaching nearly 59 percent in the country of around three million people.
The Central Election Commission is expected to release official preliminary results later on Monday.
The election was Armenia's first parliamentary vote since a renewed military confrontation with Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Karabakh.
The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War began on September 27 in 2020 and ended on November 10 the same year with a Russian-brokered ceasefire after six weeks of fighting.
Azerbaijan regained all its territory during the conflict, significantly altering the course of the decades-long dispute.
The parliamentary election result is widely seen as a test of public support for Pashinyan's efforts to conclude a peace agreement with Baku following years of regional tensions.
A strong performance by Pashinyan could also support efforts to normalize relations with Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan.
Since taking office in 2018, Pashinyan has also sought closer ties with Iran through expanded economic cooperation and regular high-level contacts.
He has repeatedly stressed the importance of stable relations with Tehran and broader regional cooperation.
China's President Xi visits North Korea amid growing global tensions
7.8-magnitude earthquake rocks Philippines, sparking tsunami warnings and widespread damage
Five Azerbaijanis killed in drone attack on cargo ships in Sea of Azov: Ministry
Twelve Amirkabir University professors named among world’s top 1% highly cited researchers
Iran announces suspension of operations after ‘painful response’ to Zionist regime
Inside the Lamerd carnage: How new US PrSM missiles were tested on children during 40-day war
VIDEO | Karachi marks passing anniversary of Imam Khomeini with tribute to resistance legacy
VIDEO | Israel turns wedding into funeral in Gaza
VIDEO | New Israeli barrier, settler attacks put Jordan valley communities at risk
VIDEO | Gaza’s silent climate crisis: War leaves 33.2 million tons of carbon emissions
Iran says US bears responsibility for regional escalation
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
