Armenia votes in election triggered by Nagorno-Karabakh defeat | DW News

Armenians are heading to the polls in elections called after a disastrous war with Azerbaijan. Armenia lost large swathes of territory in the long-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in a ceasefire agreement. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping to renew his mandate, but his popularity has dropped after he signed the truce brokered by Russia. Observers warn the conflict could easily flare up again. And there have been reports of unrest at polling booths. Almost three thousand meters above sea level - but only a few meters apart, Armenian and Azeri soldiers stare each other down. Just a matter of months after a brutal war saw thousands killed and war crimes committed against prisoners. At this proximity, tempers can flare. Commanders eventually put an end to this brawl but recent weeks have seen repeated shooting and Armenian soldiers kidnapped. It’s a pattern repeated up and down Armenia’s hundreds of kilometers long border with Azerbaijan. Until last autumn’s ceasefire the two countries’ in