Pashinyan and his ‘Real Armenia’ won, but the promise of peace faces uphill fight |
Pashinyan and his ‘Real Armenia’ won, but the promise of peace faces uphill fight
According to some, this is a “victory for democracy” and the culmination of a process to reform the country’s political system that began in 2018, when the current leader (now in his third term).
At the polling stations, a few people shed a tear. “This is the first time we’ve really been able to choose who governs us,” says a young woman, visibly moved, as she leaves the ballot box in the suburban neighborhood of Nor Nork, a cluster of Soviet-era apartment buildings perched on the hills above the Armenian capital of Yerevan.
This manifestation of emotion comes on an election Sunday that – setting aside the accusations and counter-accusations between the majority and the opposition – unfolded, all things considered, in a calm atmosphere without any major incidents. The vote resulted in the re-election of incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Civic Contract party, which secured 49.8 percent of the vote (64 out of 105 seats in parliament).
According to some, this is a “victory for democracy” and the culmination of a process to reform the country’s political system that began in 2018, when the current leader (now in his third term) came to power on the wave of a popular movement known as the Velvet Revolution.........