Armenia is holding parliamentary elections against a backdrop of deteriorating relations with Russia
This is reported by Babel, citing the Armenian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Polling stations opened at 08:00 local time. Voting will continue until 20:00, and the first preliminary results are expected after midnight. Around 2.5 million citizens are eligible to vote.
Who is taking part in the elections in Armenia
Eighteen political forces — 16 parties and two electoral blocs — are competing for seats in parliament. The threshold for parties is 4%, and for blocs, 8%. Under the law, at least three political forces must be represented in parliament. According to polls, the political force of incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan remains the frontrunner.
Why the elections have strained relations between Armenia and Russia
The vote is taking place against a backdrop of tense relations between Yerevan and Moscow. Russia has criticised the Pashinyan government’s policy of rapprochement with the European Union. Moscow had previously warned Armenia of a possible loss of preferential terms for gas supplies due to the country’s pro-European policy. Russia has also recently imposed restrictions on imports of certain Armenian goods. Ahead of the elections, Russia and its allies called on Armenia to hold a referendum on choosing between the European and Eurasian Unions. The country’s authorities stated that there were no grounds for such a vote. Moscow may also have attempted to influence the electoral process by mobilising the Armenian diaspora in Russia to support Pashinyan’s opponents.
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