Posted: Posted / 11:36 am CDT / Has been updated: / 11:36 am CDT

On Monday, June 21, 2021, Armenia’s deputy Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke at a rally after winning the Snap Parliamentary elections in Yerevan, Armenia. Voting results show that Armenian deputy Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party has won the snap parliamentary elections. He was called in to ease anger over the peace agreement he signed with Azerbaijan. The Election Commission said Pashinyan’s Citizens’ Contract Party won 53.9% of the votes. Former President Robert Kocharyan’s block was second, far away at about 21%. (Tigran Mehrabyan / PAN photo via AP)

Yerevan, Armenia (AP) — Armenia’s National Election Commission on Sunday denied claims by major opposition groups that the outcome of the parliamentary elections, which resulted in an overwhelming victory for the acting prime minister, was invalid.

In the June 20 election, the acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, was given 71 seats. Twenty-nine are in the block led by former President Roberto Kocharyan, and seven are in the block led by another former president Serzh Sargsyan.

The small party that did not win those blocks and seats issued a statement that the results should be declared invalid due to voting violations.

Election Commission chief Tigran Mukuchyan rejected the allegation, saying he did not show that the breach affected the outcome. Alam Baldebanian, head of the Kocharyan block, said the opposition would appeal to the Constitutional Court.

After Pashinyan signed a peace agreement to end the six-week war with Azerbaijan last year, the sudden elections followed months of protests against Pashinyan. The agreement handed over the vast territory of Azerbaijan, which had been dominated by Armenian troops since 1994, and severely damaged Armenian nationalist pride.

Pashinyan resigned as prime minister as required by law to hold elections, but remains the leader of the country and seems certain to become prime minister again when the new parliament is convened. Is done.