‘It’s time to move forward’: Armenians vote in election closely watched by Russia and EU

Voters cast their ballots during parliamentary elections in Yerevan, Armenia. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Voters cast their ballots during parliamentary elections in Yerevan, Armenia. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images ‘It’s time to move forward’: Armenians vote in election closely watched by Russia and EU Voters to choose between pro-Russian opposition and incumbent Nikol Pashinyan, who is more closely aligned with the west Armenians are going to the polls in an election that could cement the country’s shift towards Europe and away from its traditional alliance with Russia. Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party enters the vote as the favourite, ahead of three opposition candidates who advocate for closer ties with Moscow. Pashinyan’s main challenger, Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire who built much of his fortune in Russia, has been forced to campaign from house arrest at his mansion outside Yerevan. Much is at stake for the South Caucasus nation of 3 million people, with Moscow, Brussels and Washington all closely watching the vote. A Karapetyan victory could set Armenia on a trajectory similar to neighbouring Georgia, where a billionaire with Russian-made wealth has spent years dismantling pro-western reforms and pulling the country back towards Moscow. A strong majority for Pashinyan would give him a mandate to pursue his signature and politically sensitive goal: a peace agreement with Armenia’s longtime enemy Azerbaijan and the normalisation of relations with Turkey. View image in fullscreen Nikol Pashinyan after casting his ballot in Yerevan. Photograph: Karen Minasyan/AFP/Getty Images A former journalist who swept to power during the 2018 Velvet Revolution, Pashinyan has campaigned on a platform of peace, arguing that ending Armenia’s decades-long confrontation with its neighbours would unlock economic opportunities, improve security and reduce its dependence on Russia. The prime minister, known for his populist and often emotional rhetoric, has sought closer ties with Europe , signalling that Armenia’s future lies in deeper integration with the west and expressing hope that the country could one day join the European Union. Pashinyan has received an endorsement from Donald Trump, who described him as “a great friend and leader”. The US has taken on an increasingly prominent role in efforts to broker a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Sunday’s vote is the first national election since Armenia’s loss of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan in 2023, a traumatic defeat that ended more than three decades of Armenian control over the disputed region. The opposition has sought to portray the loss as evidence of Pashinyan’s failures, accusing him of surrendering historical Armenian lands to its enemies. Yet Pashinyan has tried to turn the issue into a political asset. Arguing that Armenia’s pursuit of Karabakh helped trap the country in perpetual conflict and dependence on Russi