The incumbent prime minister says his Civil Contract party has won enough support to govern alone

Incumbent Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has claimed victory in the South Caucasus country's parliamentary elections, saying his ruling Civil Contract party will form a single-party government, even though the vote count was still in its early stages.

Speaking at a late-night briefing, the EU-backed Pashinyan said Civil Contract had secured enough support to govern alone. At the time of his statement, Armenia's Central Election Commission had published results from 455 polling stations, representing fewer than a quarter of the total.

The election has been billed in Western media as a turning point in the country's modern trajectory, but has been riven by arrests of opposition candidates, a €50 billion offer from Brussels, and trade deterioration between Russia and Armenia.

According to the preliminary figures, Civil Contract had 53.84% of the vote, with 173,300 ballots counted.

More than 2.4 million people were eligible to vote on Sunday as 18 political groups - including 16 parties and two alliances - battled for seats in parliament. The voters have shown active interest in the polls, with the voter turnout reaching nearly 49% three hours before the stations' closure compared to slightly over 38% during the previous elections back in 2021, according to official figures.

When polls closed, the final turnout stood at nearly 59%, an increase of almost 10% on the parliamentary election in 2021, when 49.4% of the electorate cast ballots.

Parties must secure at least 4% of the vote to enter parliament, while alliances of two or three parties face an 8% threshold and larger coalitions 10%. A minimum voter turnout is not required for the election to be valid. Polling stations are only open in Armenia, as the country's electoral laws do not provide for overseas voting in parliamentary elections.

The measure excludes the diaspora, which by far outnumbers the country's population. Between five to seven million Armenians live abroad, mainly in Russia, the US, and France. Armenia's domestic population is roughly three million.

To be able to cast ballots, citizens living abroad must be present in Armenia on the election day. In March, Yerevan further tightened the rules, barring those who have lived abroad for more than 10 years from voting.

Armenian officials have stated that male citizens of conscription age arriving from abroad to vote will be required to attend military training, or face prosecution.

The election is widely seen as a test of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whose government has pursued closer ties with the EU and the US while relations with Moscow have deteriorated.

The vote comes a day after the Armenian authoritiesdetainedsix parliamentary candidates from the opposition Strong Armenia bloc, led by Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, which has emerged as the main challenger to the government.

This followed recent televised debates in which Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018 after the 'Velvet Revolution', called for several major opposition groups to be removed from the election. The Central Election Commission, however, declined to strike Strong Armenia from the ballot.

Opposition groups have accused the authorities of exerting heavy pressure ahead of the vote. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the arrests cast doubt on the democratic character of the election. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused Pashinyan of trying to sideline political rivals.

Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party is expected to remain the largest party in parliament, although polls suggest it could struggle to secure an outright majority. His leadership is being challenged by a fragmented opposition of 17 parties and political blocs.

The election has also been framed as a referendum on Armenia's geopolitical course. Critics argue that Yerevan's pivot toward the West has failed to provide meaningful security guarantees while damaging relations with Russia, a traditional ally and largest economic partner of the country.

The campaign unfolded amid growing tensions between Yerevan and Moscow. Russia has warned that deeper integration with the EU would be incompatible with Armenia's continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Russian President Vladimir Putin said in May that leaving the bloc could cost Armenia up to 14% of GDP.

Earlier this month, former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan accused Pashinyan's government of artificially turning Armenia into an enemy of Russia and steering the country down a path similar to that of Ukraine.

French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche claimed on Saturday that French intelligence services are helping the Armenian government block online publications critical of Pashinyan.

"Officers from the special VIGINUM unit track and block online statements that contradict the official narrative," it wrote.

(RT.com)