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The official vote count has begun in Armenia’s decisive parliamentary elections after polls closed at 20:00 local time, 18:00 CET, amid warnings for caution as various unofficial and conflicting exit polls projections started circulating on social media on Sunday evening.
The final turnout was higher than in 2021, but lower than in 2012 and 2017.
Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan posted a video on social media after the polls closed, saying “Good evening, and I love you all,” indicating his optimism for a victory of the pro-West Civil Contract party that he leads.
The pro-Russian opposition appeared to claim they were ahead, as Narek Karapetyan, a relative of Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan and a leader of the Strong Armenia party, currently under house arrest, stated that the ‘historically high turnout shows us that Pashinyan is losing’.
Armenians voted in the decisive election that will shape the future of the South Caucasus country and the entire region, as Russia warned Yerevan of a “Ukraine scenario,” while the EU and the US came together to support Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s cautious pro-West pivot after securing a historic peace agreement with Azerbaijan.