00:00Voting is underway in Armenia in a decisive parliamentary election that will shape the
00:05future of the South Caucasus country and the entire region.
00:08The voters are choosing between re-electing incumbent Nikol Pashinyan and his centrist
00:13civil contract party and a fragmented pro-Russian opposition openly supported by the Kremlin.
00:19Russian Armenian billionaire Sambel Karapetyan, running while on house arrest, is leading
00:25the strong Armenia opposition party, while former President Robert Kosharyan, who also
00:30ran a pro-Moscow campaign, is leading the Armenia alliance.
00:35Early polls predict a sweeping victory for Pashinyan, who is projected to receive 60%
00:40of the votes, while no opposition group is predicted to rise above 12%.
00:45Both the United States and the European Union endorsed Pashinyan's re-election bid, as he
00:50cautiously but surely introduced a pro-Western re-orientation of Armenian foreign policy.
00:55The shift came after Pashinyan secured a historic peace deal with neighbors Azerbaijan, setting
01:01his nation of some 3 million people on a collision course with Russia.
01:05Pashinyan says he will continue what he called an upwards trajectory for his country, stressing
01:10that there is quote, no need to pass bleeding wounds from generation to generation.
01:142.4 million Armenians are eligible to vote, and results are expected late on Sunday night
01:20and into the early hours of Monday.
01:222.4 million Armenians are eligible.
01:242.4 million Armenians are eligible to vote, and do not be approved, but to give a percentage
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