News - Yerevan elections: Counting of votes over, Armenia PM Pashinyan's party wins but loses almost ¾ of voters

As of 6am Monday, the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia completed the electronic counting of votes cast in all 475 polling stations in Sunday’s elections for the Yerevan Council of Elders. With a record-low voter turnout of 28.46%—as only 234,553 out of 824,250 voters cast ballots, the ruling Civil Contract Party came in first. A total of 32.57% of voters (75,463) voted for them, but this does not give this political force the ability to independently elect the new mayor of the capital of Armenia. In the elections of the representative body of the Armenian capital held five years ago, this political force had received 81.06% (294,109 votes); that is to say, its electoral support decreased by almost three quarters since then. In Sunday’s elections, the National Progress Party came in second, whose electoral list is headed by PM Nikol Pashinyan's former ally and Yerevan ex-mayor Hayk Marutyan, who has never hidden his moderate pro-Western views. A total of 18.89% of voters (43,765) cast their ballots for the National Progress Party. In third place is the pro-Russian Mother Armenia alliance, with 15.43% (35,739 votes). The fourth place was taken by the Republic Party, which supports Armenia's exit from the CSTO and EAEU. It was supported by 11.32% (26,236) of the voters. The expected surprise was the high result of the Public Voice party—in fifth place: 9.68% (22,431). The remaining nine political forces that ran in the elections have not won seats in the new Yerevan Council of Elders elected for a five-year term.