Armenians wishing to vote have to show up with a valid ID and will be checked via an  electronic Voter Authentication Device (VAD). Voter lists are based on the State Population Register, which is maintained by the Passport and Visa Department (PVD) of the police. It includes around 2,578,678 eligible voters who maintain permanent residence in Armenia.

The VADs were introduced in 2017 to help prevent potential electoral fraud (multiple voting and voter impersonation). According to the Armenian central elections committee, the VADs have significantly improved the efficiency of the voter identification process compared to previous paper-based methods. 

Once the voter scans their passport into the VAD, the operator of the device will have to ask them to lower their mask to check their identity with the photo on the system for that ID. 
 

commonspace.eu political editor says that the elections come at a defining moment in Armenia’s modern political history. The defeat in the war with Azerbaijan in the autumn accentuated divisions in Armenian society. The elections were called as a way of coming out of the political impasse following the defeat, and the subsequent calls from various political forces for the prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, to resign. Pashinyan on his part has blamed the defeat on past mistakes committed by his political enemies in the two decades that they ran the country.

The political atmosphere in Armenia has been tense and highly polarised, but apart from some serious but isolated incidents, largely non-violent. But many Armenian political observers have raised the spectre of inconclusive results which may further increase tensions and instability. For this reason, the next few hours are going to be crucial. Much depends on voter turnout. A low voter turnout may question the legitimacy of the elections, but a high voter turnout can also result in a more polarised parliament.
 

Armenian president, Armen Sarkissian and leaders of different political parties have already cast their vote. President Sarkissian spoke this morning with the Chairman of the Central Elections Commission as well as the heads of the police and security services to discuss the election process.

Armenia prime minister Nikol Pashinyan went to the polling station accompanied by his family. He made no comments to the press, but later wrote on his Facebook page: "I am voting for the future of our state and people, for the development of Armenia."

Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharian (See picture), considered the most serious challenger to Pashinyan in this election has also already voted. Kocharian told the press "I voted for a dignified peace, then for economic growth, this is the choice".

Armenian Elections 2021 – Live Blog
Editors: William Murray and Noman Ahmed

Good morning and welcome to this commonspace.eu live blog, following developments in Armenia as the country votes in what some have described as the most important elections in its modern history. We are joined by our team of experts here at the commonspace.eu offices in The Hague as well as contributors in Brussels, Yerevan and Tbilisi as we assess the elections and their impact on Armenia and the region.

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Voting started at 0800 local time in polling stations around the country. There are 2,578,678 eligible to vote according to data published by the police this morning.

This was the scene at polling station no 6 in Yerevan as the first voters arrived to cast their vote around four hours ago. (Picture from live feed)