Voter turnout in Armenia’s parliamentary elections reached 33.84% by 2:00 p.m. local time, nearly eight percentage points higher than at the same stage of the previous election, as reported by the country’s Central Electoral Commission.
Election officials said that 847,226 voters had cast their ballots by early afternoon.
Turnout in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, where more than one-third of the country’s electorate resides, stood at 33.38%, with 283,601 people voting. The southern Syunik region continued to record the highest participation rate nationwide, with turnout reaching 39.02%.
By comparison, voter turnout at 2:00 p.m. during Armenia’s previous snap parliamentary election was 26.82%.
Armenians are voting to elect members of the National Assembly under a proportional representation system. Eighteen political forces — including 16 parties and two electoral blocs — are competing for seats in the country’s 9th convocation parliament.
Political parties must secure at least 4% of the vote to enter parliament, while electoral alliances face an 8% threshold.
Based on Western media reports, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party is expected to face its strongest challenge from three major opposition groups: the Strong Armenia Alliance, backed by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan; the Armenia Alliance, led by former president Robert Kocharyan; and the Prosperous Armenia Party, headed by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan.
