00:00Armenia is set to hold its general elections on June 7th in a vote seen as a test of the
00:06government's push to reduce its reliance on Russia while deepening ties with the West.
00:11Polls show an exceedingly tight race between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
00:16and opposition forces backed by figures with closer ties to Moscow.
00:23The election is being widely viewed as a choice between expanding cooperation with Western partners
00:29or rebuilding strategic relations with Russia.
00:32However, the country remains deeply affected by Azerbaijan's 2023 military takeover
00:37of the Karabakh region and the mass displacement of around 100,000 ethnic Armenians.
00:43Journalists, rights groups and independent observers have also raised concerns over the electoral process,
00:49including allegations of vote-buying, misuse of state resources and pressure on public sector employees.
00:55Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly expressed support for Pashinyan ahead
01:00of the vote. As part of a U.S.-brokered peace deal, Armenia has agreed to establish a transit
01:06corridor to Azerbaijan, dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or TRIPP.
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