Pashinyan's bloc wins landslide victory in Yerevan municipal elections

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step bloc has gained the absolute majority of votes in Sunday’s municipal elections in the capital of Yerevan.

After summing up the preliminary results of the snap elections to the Yerevan City Council, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Monday, 24 September, that My Step bloc, led by popular actor and producer Hayk Marutyan, has won 81,06% of the votes.

The Prosperous Armenia Party came the second with 6, 59%, followed by the Luys (Light) alliance, which garnered 4,99% votes.

The other nine forces running in the elections failed to secure enough votes to make it through to the City Council. Yerevan Community alliance received 0,69% of the votes, Yerevantsiner (Yerevan residents) – 0,82%, Yerkir Tsirani party – 1,39%, Heritage party – 0.75%, Democratic Way – 0,22%, Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) party – 1,62%, Hayk party – 0,19%, Reformists – 0.22% and Orinats Yerkir – 1.09%. 

A total of twelve political forces, including eight parties and four alliances, were competing with party lists for 65 eligible seats in the City Council elections. The CEC puts voter turnout at 43.65% in the September 23 vote.

Under the Armenian law, parties need to gain at least 6 percent of the votes to secure their places in the city council, while alliances need to gain 8%. However, the law also envisages that at least three political forces must be represented in the council, which means Luys alliance will also take seats in the Yerevan City Council.