Hayk Marutyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the New Force Party, cast his ballot at polling station 4/53 and welcomed what he described as a high level of political engagement among Armenian voters.
Speaking to reporters after voting, Marutyan said he was encouraged by the strong turnout and noted that none of his party’s members had been detained during the election process.
Recalling the most recent major election in Armenia — the Yerevan City Council vote — Marutyan pointed to the low voter participation at the time as a sign of widespread political apathy.
“The last major election was the Yerevan municipal election, where turnout was only 28 percent due to the prevailing apathy, which was disappointing,” he said.
Marutyan contrasted that experience with the atmosphere surrounding Sunday’s parliamentary elections, saying that citizens appeared more engaged and determined to shape the country’s future.
“Today we see that the people have awakened and are deciding for themselves where Armenia should go and what kind of country it should become. This is a very encouraging fact for me,” he stated.
Armenians are voting on Sunday in the country’s regular parliamentary elections, with 18 political parties and alliances competing for seats in the National Assembly.
