Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has won a third term in power, defeating pro-Russian rivals after positioning himself as a peacemaker in the region. Mr Pashinyan's re-election bid was backed by US President Donald Trump, who oversaw an agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia last year aimed at ending decades of on-and-off fighting. With votes at all polling stations counted, Mr Pashinyan's Civil Contract party was on 49.8 per cent, enough for a majority in parliament. The two main pro-Russian opposition groups had a combined 33.1 per cent.Sunday's vote ⁠was Armenia's first general election since a crushing military ‌defeat by Azerbaijan in 2023. With critics painting him as weak, Mr Pashinyan countered by placing a push for peace at the centre of his campaign. While he secured a third term, Mr Pashinyan fell short of a supermajority needed to amend the constitution or call referendums. That could complicate his plans to pursue constitutional changes sought by Azerbaijan as part of a final peace agreement. Securing a peace deal with Azerbaijan is key to Mr Pashinyan's efforts to diversify Armenia's alliances and trading ​partners away from Russia and towards the West. The country is sandwiched between Russia, Iran and Europe. Mr Pashinyan hailed a “historic victory” at a press conference in the early hours of Monday. “The Armenian people voted for regional prosperity and co-operation, and I hope this will draw a positive response from Turkey and Azerbaijan,” he said. Turnout in Armenia's general election was about 59 per cent. ReutersInfoAzerbaijan wants Armenia to amend its constitution to remove what it says is a claim on Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway territory that had ⁠an ethnic Armenian population and was recaptured by Azerbaijan in the ​2023 war.Opposition coalitions ⁠Strong Armenia and Armenia Alliance won 23.2 per cent and 9.9 per cent of the vote, respectively, the Central Electoral Commission said. A fourth party, Prosperous Armenia, ⁠had initially looked set to enter parliament but a later tally put it just short. A spate of arrests before the election targeted the opposition, including candidates for Strong Armenia. Party founder Samvel Karapetyan, Pashinyan's main rival, said more than 700 people associated with the group had been arrested.Mr Karapetyan campaigned on a pro-business platform and close ties with Moscow. He is under house arrest on charges of calling for the overthrow of the government, which he rejects as politically motivated.Critics have accused Mr ⁠Pashinyan of authoritarianism after many of his opponents were jailed in recent years. The government has broadly defended the actions of police against people it claims are trying to foment coups.