Armenia holds early parliamentary elections on Sunday / Article

Armenia is holding early parliamentary elections on SundayRihards Plūme00:00 / 00:41

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Many Armenians are disappointed in Pashinyan, who failed to deliver on the promised reforms and reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which many in Armenia see as capitulation.

Following the ceasefire agreement in Armenia, widespread protests against the government demanded the resignation of the prime minister. High-ranking military personnel also demanded Pashinyan’s resignation.

Pashinyan hopes early parliamentary elections will end protests and allow him to retain office. However, the pre-election campaign was marked by aggressive rhetoric and fears that the election could further divide the country.

Four constituencies and 22 parties will run in the elections, and most have been pro-Russian. However, a very small number of parties are expected to enter parliament.

A poll released last week suggests that the bloc of former President Robert Kocharian and the party represented by Pashinyan could gain very similar voter support of around 24%.

In turn, the block of Pashinyan’s predecessor Serge Sargsyan – 7% support. The sharp rhetoric of the pre-election campaign has raised concerns about possible post-election unrest if candidates report irregularities or fraud in the election process.

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