YEREVAN, April 3. /TASS/. Armenia’s ruling Republican Party led by President Serzh Sargsyan has taken a clear lead in Sunday’s parliamentary polls with 49.7% of the vote, according to data processed from 64% of the polling stations, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said.

The Tsarukyan Bloc of Armenia’s richest businessman Gagik Tsarukyan comes second, scoring 27.84% of the vote. The opposition’s Elk (Exit) Bloc is securing 7.02%, and the Dashnaktsutyun party is winning 6.68% of the vote.

Other political forces have failed to overcome the election threshold. Under the Armenian laws, to win parliamentary seats, a party needs to overcome a 5% threshold, while an election bloc needs to score more than 7% of vote.

Sunday’s election is the first after the 2015 constitutional reform when Armenia became a parliamentary republic. The new parliament will be formed on the multi-party proportional basis, with no voting in one-seat constituencies. Authorities believe the measure will enhance Armenia’s political system and increase the role of political parties. Five political parties and four election blocs took part in the election.