YEREVAN, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Armenia's ruling party won a stunning majority in its capital Yerevan's City Council elections Sunday, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) said.
My Step Alliance, which includes Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party, garnered around 81 percent of the vote.
This was Pashinyan's first electoral test since the former journalist and opposition MP rose up to the current post following weeks of mass protests that forced long-time leader Serzh Sargsyan to step down.
Prosperous Armenia Party and Light -- an alliance of parties led by Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan -- came in second and third, obtaining 7 percent and 5 percent of the votes, respectively.
As a result, former comedian Hayk Marutyan, who has been leading My Step Alliance, is now poised to become Yerevan's next mayor. Marutyan was an early supporter of Pashinyan when the latter started his protest movement in April.
According to the CEC, around 370,000 voters, or 43.65 percent, of around 850,000 people of electoral age cast their ballots on Sunday.
