Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the "Civil Contract" party - which he leads - made temporary progress with the counting of ballot papers in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday, which was a heated race with the political bloc formed by former President Robert Kocharyan in the name of "Revival of Armenia".

The counting of votes in early legislative elections continues, fraught with dangers for Pashinyan, whose popularity has deteriorated after the recent military defeat in the conflict with Azerbaijan, following a fierce electoral campaign that raises fears of a tense atmosphere after the results are released.

According to the RIA, preliminary data published by the Central Election Commission of Armenia showed that Pashinyan's party received 58 percent of the vote, compared to 22 percent for Kocharyan's alliance, based on the counting of 80 ballots from among 2008 polling stations.

Pashinyan, 46, a former journalist who became prime minister in 2018 after a peaceful revolution against the old corrupt elites, is competing with his opponent Kocharyan, 66, the former president who accuses his rival of incompetence and presents himself as an experienced leader.

defeat

And if his party does not win a majority, Pashinyan may lose his position, after his record popularity collapsed after he was accused of defeat in the war against Azerbaijan in the fall of 2020.

This defeat - which was considered a national humiliation - sparked a political crisis in Armenia, forcing Pashinyan to call these early elections in the hope of easing tension and strengthening his legitimacy.

Despite the reforms made by the Prime Minister, many of his supporters abandoned him after the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, and moved to the ranks of his opponent, despite his association with the old elites accused of looting the country.

After receiving more than 70% of the votes in the legislative elections in 2018, Pashinyan is currently seeking 60%, and there are 3 other parties that may be able to enter parliament.

split

And last Friday, Kocharian told his supporters, "Unlike the current political administration, we are a team that has experience, knowledge, strength and will," warning against attempts to "steal their votes."

Kocharian led Armenia from 1998 to 2008, and his critics suspect him of corruption.

The election campaign showed a major split between the two camps, which experts expect will lead to protests and possibly violence after the elections.

The OSCE observers tasked with monitoring the transparency of the vote are due to present their initial report on Monday.

About 2.6 million Armenian voters were called to vote to choose more than 100 deputies for a 5-year term.