Voting begins in Armenia parliamentary elections

Armenia opened polling stations on Sunday at 8 am local time (0400GMT) for voting in the parliamentary elections, state news agency Armenpress reported.

According to the Migration and Citizenship Service, about 2.5 million citizens will elect the 101-seat National Assembly, where the Civil Contract, led by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, holds 69 seats since a snap parliamentary vote in 2018.

A total of 2,005 polling stations have been established across the country for the vote and will remain open until 8 pm local time (1600GMT), after which the vote-counting process will begin.

Sixteen political parties and two political alliances have registered to take part in the election, including the Civil Contract.

Key opposition to the Civil Contract in the election includes the Armenia Alliance, a political alliance led by former President Robert Kocharyan, and Strong Armenia, a newly founded party led by billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who is under house arrest on charges of inciting a coup.

The day before the voting, six parliamentary candidates from the Strong Armenia bloc were detained, according to state media, while authorities did not provide a reason for the detentions.

The election is being held under a proportional representation system with closed party lists. Parties must secure at least 4% of the vote to enter parliament, while alliances face a 10% threshold.

Armenian law includes a mechanism to ensure a stable governing majority, allowing the winning party to receive additional seats if needed to reach 52% of parliament.

The vote marks Armenia's first regularly scheduled parliamentary election since 2017. Snap elections were held in 2018 and 2021.

Speaking at a briefing, Armenian Central Electoral Commission Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan said three election officials — two precinct commission chairs and a secretary — were arrested as part of an ongoing criminal investigation and did not report for duty on election day.

“However, I should note that the Electoral Code allows the process to continue even if any member of the election commission is absent,” he said, without specifying the reasons for the arrests.

Separately, Armenian authorities Sunday announced arrests in an alleged vote-buying scheme involving the Strong Armenia bloc.

The Anti-Corruption Committee said a parliamentary candidate bribed residents in Lori Province in exchange for votes. The law enforcement agency did not specify how many suspects have been detained.