Ruling Party Wins Armenian Parliamentary Elections With Nearly 50% of Votes

Armenia’s Central Election Commission has published the preliminary vote results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections, according to which, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, headed by president Serzh Sargsyan, has won 49.12 percent of the vote with 771 247 ballots cast in its favor.

The three other forces that have passed the required 5 and 7 percent threshold to gain representation in the National Assembly are the Tsarukyan alliance – led by one of Armenia’s major businessmen Gagik Tsarukyan – with 27.32 percent of the votes, followed by the opposition Yelk bloc – 7.77 percent, and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun – 6.57 percent.

According to the CEC statement, the total number of ballots cast on Sunday amounted to 1 577 323, which makes up 60.93 percent of Armenia’s eligible voters.

Note, these were the first major elections since the adoption of the constitutional amendments in 2015 seeking to transform Armenia into a parliamentary republic. After the expiration of current president Serzh Sargsyan’s term in 2018, the National Assembly will become the main authority in the country.