Armenia votes for pro-West party despite pressure from Russia

Armenian Prime Minister and leader of the Civil Contract party Nikol Pashinyan casts a ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election (Stringer via Reuters)

Armenia's governing Civil Contract party has won an election seen as key to deciding whether the country moves closer to the West and away from its traditional patron Russia.

International election monitors said the run-up to voting was marked by efforts by Moscow to influence the outcome.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called the result a "historic victory" and is expected to boost efforts to diversify Armenia's allies and trading partner

Armenia's governing Civil Contract party has won an election seen as key to deciding whether the country moves closer to the West, despite what international election observers called blatant interference and pressure by Russia.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's party won 49.8% of votes, with the Strong Armenia Alliance coming in second with 23.2%. The Armenia Alliance was third with 9.9%.

International election monitors said the run-up to voting was marked by efforts from Armenia's traditional patron Russia to influence the outcome.

"Russia exercised unprecedented pressure, using public threats and trade measures, trying to substantially alter the results of the election," said Edita Estrella of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe observer mission.

"As members of the European Parliament, we strongly condemn this blatant interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state."

Mr Pashinyan called the result a "historic victory" and is expected to boost efforts to diversify Armenia's allies and trading partners.

A voter casts a ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia (Vahram Baghdasaryan via Reuters)

The Prime Minister has been vocal about shifting the country's focus away from Russia, its largest trading partner and looking towards Western countries.

Mr Pashinyan fell short of the two thirds majority needed in parliament in order to call a constitutional referendum, which has been demanded as part of a peace deal by Azerbaijan.

Both countries have been at war intermittently since the late 1980s.

Russia accused the West of interfering in the vote and joined Armenia's opposition in alleging election violations.

"There is clearly broad demand within Armenian society for the steady development of Russian-Armenian ties," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Mr Pashinyan on his win, telling him: "The spir