Armenia votes in snap polls

Yerevan: Armenians voted on Sunday in early parliamentary elections called by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an attempt to heal divisions after a disastrous war with Azerbaijan and renew his mandate.

But the reformist leader, who spearheaded peaceful protests in 2018, has lost much of his appeal after a humiliating defeat last year to Azerbaijan over a decades-old territorial dispute and is in a tight race with former president Robert Kocharyan.

“The destiny of our Armenian nation will be decided today,” said one voter, 73-year-old Emma Sahakyan. Analysts say the election result is hard to predict, with both Pashinyan and Kocharyan drawing massive crowds on the eve of the polls and planning four days of rallies after the vote.