A total of 234,553 people or 28.46 percent of eligible voters participated in the election of the Yerevan City Council, the Central Electoral Commission has informed.
Preliminary results indicate that no faction will likely obtain an outright majority. The CEC reported that if no single electoral ticket obtains a majority, instead of the top name on any respective ticket being elected mayor, the seated city council members will be forced to elect a mayor within two weeks from among the elected city council members.
During its campaign, Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party had stated that it believed it would clear the 50% threshold to be able to select its top candidate for city council, Tigran Avinyan, as mayor. Despite leveraging administrative resources, including reports of bussing in government workers from regions outside Yerevan to attend its rallies, preliminary results indicate that Pashinyan’s party has managed to secure only around 30% of the vote.
Per preliminary results, opposition tickets are poised to be able to select a mayor if they can agree on an opposition coalition, which would be a major blow to Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party, which has claimed that the Yerevan elections would prove to be a mandate for its rule.
