Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's ruling party has won parliamentary elections, preliminary results showed on Monday, cementing the nation's Westward tilt after threats from Moscow and claims of Russian interference. Pashinyan has sought to loosen the ex-Soviet republic's dependence on Moscow, while forging closer ties with the West. His ruling Civil Contract party got 49.8 percent of the vote, comfortably ahead of the 23.3 percent of the Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan's Strong Armenia alliance, after all electoral precincts declared results, the Central Election Commission said. Two other opposition forces -- ex-president Robert Kocharyan's "Armenia" alliance and the Prosperous Armenia party -- also cleared the electoral threshold to get into parliament, winning 9.9 percent and four percent of the vote, respectively. Turnout was 59 percent, the commission said. Pashinyan hailed his party's "historic victory that will ensure Armenia's eternity and development." He pledged to "continue the course of rapprochement with the West" while also developing Armenia's relations with Russia. His opponent Karapetyan called the elections "shameful" and denounced violations and repression, saying dozens of his campaign staff had been arrested. Armenia's Investigative Committee said it had opened 59 criminal cases over alleged electoral violations -- including multiple voting -- and detained nine people. Pashinyan has frozen participation in a Russia-led security bloc while deepening ties with the European Union and United States, and set Armenia on a path toward possible EU membership. Moscow has bristled at the possible loss of yet another ally in its backyard. In a pointed remark, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in May: "We all see what is happening with Ukraine now... How did it all begin? With Ukraine's attempt to join the EU." The Kremlin has been accused of seeking to sway the vote. Analysts have noted misinformation on the web, hacker activity and Kremlin-friendly narratives portraying Western cooperation as dangerous. In the weeks before the vote, Russia banned the import of several products from Armenia -- seen as a move to heap economic pressure on the country. And Armenian officials have warned "enemies of freedom" are funding propaganda efforts. For many Armenians, the opposition remains associated with Russian influence and oligarchs.
