A pro-European party has won Armenia's election, despite what watchdogs called blatant "interference" and "pressure" by Russia.

The governing Civil Contract party under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received 49.8% of votes, which is enough to secure a parliamentary majority under Armenia's electoral system, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said.

The two main pro-Russian opposition groups, Strong Armenia and Armenia Alliance, won a combined 33.1% of the vote in Sunday's election - enough for both to enter parliament.

International election monitors said the run-up to the election was marked by Russian efforts to influence the outcome.

"Russia exercised unprecedented pressure, using public threats and trade measures, trying to substantially alter the results of the election," Edita Estrella, from the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe observer mission, said.

"As members of the European Parliament, we strongly condemn this blatant interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state."

Russia, Armenia's traditional patron, meanwhile accused the West of interfering in the vote and joined the pro-Russian opposition groups in alleging election violations.

"There is clearly broad demand within Armenian society for the steady development of Russian-Armenian ties," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Arrests among opposition

There were several arrests targeting the opposition ahead of the election, which contributed to perceptions of selective justice, according to election observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Strong Armenia's founder Samvel Karapetyan, who is under house arrest and campaigned on close ties with Moscow, said over 700 people associated with the group had been detained.

The election saw a strong turnout of nearly 59% and reportedly went smoothly in most areas.

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Mr Pashinyan has been trying to diversify Armenia's allies and trading partners away from Russia and more towards Western countries, including a peace deal with Azerbaijan and normalising relations with Azerbaijan's ally Turkey.

After his Civil Contract won the election, Mr Pashinyan promised to continue building ties with both the West and Russia.

"The Armenian people voted for regional prosperity and cooperation and I hope this will draw a positive response from Turkey and Azerbaijan," he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Mr Pashinyan and said Armenia could count on European support.

"We deeply value our partnership with a democratic Armenia that is drawing ever closer to Europe," she said in a post on X.