Armenia's My Step Alliance led by acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan won the country's snap parliamentary election held on Dec. 9, winning 70.43 percent of the votes, according to the Central Election Commission on Monday.

With 100 percent of the votes counted, the ruling Republican Party of ex-president Serzh Sargsyan only achieved 4.70 percent, failing to exceed the 5 percent threshold necessary to enter parliament.</s>Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step Alliance won the country's snap parliamentary election with over 70 percent of the vote, the Central Election Commission said Monday after 100 percent of ballots were counted.

"The My Step bloc received 884,400 votes which accounts for 70.45 percent. The Prosperous Armenia party is second with 8.37 percent of the vote (103,800). The Bright Armenia party is third with 6.37 percent of the vote (just over 80,000)," the commission said in a statement on its website, having counted ballots from all 2,010 polling stations.

Meanwhile, Armenia's former ruling Republican Party for the first time failed to cross the 5-percent threshold to get into the country's parliament, having ensured only 4.7 percent of the vote. The Republican Party had seats in all successive parliaments from 1995 until now.

The Armenian police have received 144 reports of suspected irregularities during the Sunday snap parliamentary elections, the chief of the inspection department of the country’s police said.

READ MORE: Pashinyan Invites Renowned US Economist to Restore Armenia’s Economy

“On the election day, the police have registered 144 reports, including 58 of them reporting offenses and 86 others not containing obvious indications of crime, but which are subject to verification,” Col. Ashot Sargsyan said at the Central Electoral Commission (CEC)’s briefing.

On November 1, the country's president signed a decree to dissolve the parliament after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is seeking to refresh Armenia's political system, resigned in late October in order to give a formal reason for the dissolution of the parliament and thus force early elections.

READ MORE: Kremlin Hopes Alliance With Armenia Remains Principle for Both Countries</s>YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia’s acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan bolstered his authority in the former Soviet republic as his political bloc won early parliamentary elections which were assessed as democratic.

Armenian acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan speaks at news briefing in Yerevan, Armenia December 10, 2018. REUTERS/Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure

My Step Alliance, including Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, won 70.4 percent of Sunday’s vote based on results from all polling stations, the Central Election Commission said on its website.

Results showed that two moderate opposition parties - Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia - got enough votes to clear the 5 percent threshold to enter parliament.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on Monday that the elections respected fundamental freedoms.

“The general absence of electoral malfeasance, including of vote-buying and pressure on voters, allowed for genuine competition,” the statement said.

Pashinyan came to power in May after weeks of mass protests against corruption and cronyism. The former newspaper editor, who was jailed for stirring up unrest in 2008, marked a dramatic break from the cadre of rulers who have run Armenia since the late 1990s.

He stepped down in October so parliament could be dissolved ready for the early election but remained as acting prime minister.

“We are not afraid of a challenge of having constitutional majority at the parliament,” Pashinyan told a news conference on Monday, adding that his power was restricted by “rule of law and free media”.

He said one of the first steps for a new legislature would be making changes to the South Caucasus country’s tax code in order to give local entrepreneurs more freedom and attract foreign investment.

The former ruling Republican Party received 4.70 percent of the vote, not enough to enter parliament.

Former high-ranking officials were sacked and some arrested following the change of power. An appeals court ordered the detention of former President Robert Kocharyan on Friday on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.

Kocharyan was Armenia’s second president, serving from 1998-2008, when mass protests erupted over a disputed election.

Pashinyan promised there would be no major shifts in Armenian foreign policy and has offered assurances that he will not break with Moscow.

“Our country is not under any influence,” he said, adding that Armenia would continue its cooperation with the European Union, although had no plans to join NATO.

Armenia hosts a Russian military base and is a member of Russia-led military and economic alliances.

Armenian acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan speaks at news briefing in Yerevan, Armenia December 10, 2018. REUTERS/Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure

Pashinyan also suggested he would stick with existing policies on the long-running issue of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A mountainous part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is run by ethnic Armenians who declared independence from Baku during a conflict that broke out as the Soviet Union crumbled in 1991.

Though a ceasefire was agreed in 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia still regularly accuse each other of conducting attacks around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Azeri-Armenian border.</s>YEREVAN, DECEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. Soon after the preliminary vote count results of the general election of Armenia were released by the country’s Central Electoral Commission, news media from around the world shifted their spotlight on Armenia.

“Armenia’s acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has bolstered his authority after his political bloc won early parliamentary elections,” the Guardian said.

“Armenian citizens created a revolutionary majority at the parliament,” the British daily newspaper quoted Pashinyan as saying at his bloc’s HQ after the first results were published.

Sputnik News noted that the Republican Party of Armenia, the former ruling party, for the first time failed to cross the 5-percent threshold to get into the country's parliament, garnering only 4.7 percent of the vote.

“Acting Armenian PM's bloc easily wins parliamentary vote”, Reuters reported.

“Armenia's acting PM Nikol Pashinyan wins by landslide”, said Euronews, referring to the overwhelming 70,43% of votes garnered by My Step Alliance, which includes Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party.

Nearly 40 foreign news media have accredited at the foreign ministry to cover the general election.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan said earlier on Facebook the foreign news outlets have accredited more than 80 journalists.

"After the elections, we will be developing Armenian democracy and make an economic revolution happen," France24 quoted Pashinyan telling reporters after casting his ballot on December 9 in Yerevan.

“Armenians appeared to overwhelmingly back protest leader and current acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in early parliamentary elections on Sunday”, reported the German Deutsche Welle.

The newspaper notes that the former ruling party “suffered a massive defeat and came in at just over 4 percent, according to the early results. “

The Turkish press also covered the election, with TRT World quoting Pashinyan as saying : "An economic revolution is our top priority," after voting.

Iran’s PressTV noted Pashinyan’s “landslide victory”, that enabled the premier to “consolidate his authority months after he rose to power”.

The Central Electoral Commission of Armenia has released the preliminary results from all 2010 polling stations in the country of the general election vote.

According to the CEC, caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step Alliance has won a landslide victory with 70,43 % - with 884,456 votes.

The Republican Party of Armenia garnered only 4,70% - 59,059 votes.

Citizens Decision Social-Democratic Party received 0,68%, with 8530 votes.

Bargavatch Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) Party received 8,27%, with 103,824 votes.

The ARF, or the Dashnaktsutyun, garnered 3,89% with 48,811 votes.

Lusavor Hayastan (Luminous Armenia) Party got 6,37% - 80,024 votes.

2619 voters (0,50%) cast ballots for the Christian-People’s Rebirth Party.

The National Progress Party and the Menk (We) Alliance garnered 0,51% (6456 votes) and 2,00% (25,174) respectively.

Orinats Yerkir Party (Rule of Law) garnered 0,99% with 12,389 votes, and the Sasna Tsrer Pan-Armenian Party got 1,82% with 22,862 votes.

According to preliminary information the turnout was 48.63%.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan</s>Armenia's acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, bolstered his authority as his political bloc won early parliamentary elections in the former Soviet country on Sunday, the Central Election Commission's (CEC) results showed.

My Step Alliance, which includes Mr Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party, won 70.4 percent of the vote based on results from all polling stations, the CEC said on its website.

Results showed that two moderate opposition parties - Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia - got enough votes to clear the 5 percent threshold to enter parliament.

Mr Pashinyan came to power in Armenia in May after weeks of mass protests against corruption and cronyism. The former newspaper editor, who was jailed for fomenting unrest in 2008, marked a dramatic break from the cadre of rulers who have run Armenia since the late 1990s.

He stepped down in October so parliament could be dissolved ready for the early election but remained the acting prime minister.

"Armenian citizens created a revolutionary majority at the parliament," Mr Pashinyan told reporters at his bloc's headquarters after first results were published.

"If this trend continues, the majority won't face any problems in implementing legislative changes," he said.</s>YEREVAN: The electoral bloc of Armenia's acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan won a landslide victory in Sunday's snap parliamentary elections, which were triggered by the reformist leader seeking to cement his political authority in the post-Soviet country.

The bloc led by Pashinyan's Civil Contract party had 70. 45 per cent of the vote, and trailing in distant second place with 8.37 per cent was the Prosperous Armenia party, according to results from 90 per cent of precincts, the central election commission said.

The centrist My Step bloc also includes the Mission Party headed by rights activist Manuk Sukiasyan.

A small liberal pro-Western party, Bright Armenia, also cleared an electoral threshold with 6.33 per cent of the votes, the commission said.

Pashinyan became prime minister in May after spearheading weeks of peaceful anti-government rallies that ousted veteran leader Serzh Sarkisian.

The 43-year-old former journalist has pledged to root out endemic corruption and address widespread poverty, earning him supporters in the impoverished landlocked nation of about three million people.

"After the elections, we will be developing Armenian democracy and make an economic revolution happen," Pashinyan told reporters after casting his ballot.

Pashinyan's reform drive had been stalled for months by opposition from Sarkisian's then-ruling Republican Party, which dominated the National Assembly until his calculated resignation triggered parliament's dissolution last month.

The Republican Party took 4.56 per cent in Sunday's elections, failing to clear the five-percent threshold to make it into parliament.

At a polling station in central Yerevan voters expressed optimism about the political change promised by Pashinyan and vented their anger at former corrupt officials.

"Thanks to the revolution, we will finally have fair elections," 72-year-old pensioner Parzik Avetisyan told AFP.

"I voted for the positive change promised by Nikol (Pashinyan)," he added.

Another voter, a 52-year-old painter Garnik Arakelyan, said: "I want all those corrupt officials who for many years were robbing and humiliating people to be jailed.

" Turnout was 48.63 per cent when polls closed at 8:00 pm (1300 GMT), the election commission said.

Last week, Pashinyan promised "the best elections Armenia has ever seen", without ballot stuffing or voter intimidation.

Parliamentary polls had not been scheduled to be held until 2022.

Analysts say Pashinyan sought new elections while he is at the peak of his popularity.

In September, his bloc scored a landslide victory in municipal elections, winning more than 80 per cent of the vote in the capital Yerevan, where nearly 40 per cent of the former Soviet Republic's population lives.

"The elections were called on the wave of a revolutionary euphoria," analyst Gevorg Poghosyan told AFP.

"But after the polls, that sentiment will inevitably weaken and Pashinyan and his team will face a reality check.

" On foreign policy, Pashinyan has said Armenia will "further strengthen (our) strategic alliance with Russia and, at the same time, step up cooperation with the United States and European Union".

Nine political parties and two electoral blocs were competing for mandates in the 101-seat National Assembly.

A party needs at least five per cent of the vote to be elected to parliament, while an electoral bloc must clear a seven-percent barrier.

But -- regardless of how many votes they win -- opposition parties will take at least 30 per cent of parliamentary seats, according to Armenia's electoral law.

More than 2.6 million people were eligible to vote in the election monitored by international observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.</s>Armenia's acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, is on his way to bolstering his authority as his political bloc appeared to have taken a clear lead in elections in the ex-Soviet country on Sunday, the Central Election Commission's (CEC) preliminary results showed.

YEREVAN: Armenia's acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, is on his way to bolstering his authority as his political bloc appeared to have taken a clear lead in elections in the ex-Soviet country on Sunday, the Central Election Commission's (CEC) preliminary results showed.

My Step Alliance, which includes Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party, won over 70 percent of the vote based on results from more than 50 percent of the polling stations, the CEC said on its website.

Results showed that two moderate opposition parties got enough votes to enter parliament as they had cleared the 5 percent threshold.</s>YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia’s acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, is on his way to bolstering his authority as his political bloc appeared to have taken a clear lead in elections in the ex-Soviet country on Sunday, the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) preliminary results showed.

My Step Alliance, which includes Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, won over 70 percent of the vote based on results from more than 50 percent of the polling stations, the CEC said on its website.

Results showed that two moderate opposition parties got enough votes to enter parliament as they had cleared the 5 percent threshold.</s>My Step Alliance, which includes Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party, won 70.4% of the vote based on results from all polling stations, the CEC said on its website, Euro News reported.

Results showed that two moderate opposition parties - Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia - got enough votes to clear the 5% threshold to enter parliament.

Pashinyan came to power in Armenia in May after weeks of mass protests against corruption and cronyism. The former newspaper editor marked a dramatic break from the cadre of rulers who have run Armenia since the late 1990s.

He stepped down in October so parliament could be dissolved ready for the early election but remained the acting prime minister.

"Armenian citizens created a revolutionary majority at the parliament," Pashinyan told reporters at his bloc's headquarters after first results were published.

"If this trend continues, the majority won't face any problems in implementing legislative changes," he said.

After a change of power in the South Caucasus country of around 3 million people, Pashinyan's government sought to initiate changes to the electoral code. But the move was blocked by the former ruling Republican Party, which dominated the parliament.

The Republican Party received 4.70% of the vote and it was not clear whether it managed to enter parliament. Under Armenia's constitution, 30% of seats in parliament must go to opposition parties.</s>Acting Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s bloc ‘My Step’ has won 70.4 percent of the vote based on results from all polling stations, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said on its website. The ‘My Step’ alliance includes Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party. The Prosperous Armenia and the Armenian Renaissance parties have entered the parliament, scoring 8.27 percent and 6.37 percent of the vote respectively, TASS reports. The Republican Party of Armenia, the former leading party, failed to surpass the five percent mark, scoring just 4.7 percent of the vote. The Dashnakthutyun faction received 3.89 percent of votes. Other parties involved in the parliamentary election received less than two percent of the vote. Voter turnout at the early parliamentary polls on Sunday was 48.63 percent, according to the CEC. Turnout for previous parliamentary elections was 60.84 percent.
Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's My Step Alliance bloc wins 70.4% of the vote.