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.