A new poll shows Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party on course to win nearly 65% of decided voters in parliamentary elections scheduled for 7 June, far ahead of a fragmented, partly Russia-backed opposition. A victory of that magnitude would give Pashinyan a strong mandate to deepen Armenia's (a South Caucasus nation of about 3 million) shift away from Moscow's orbit and toward the European Union, and to consolidate a landmark peace agreement with Azerbaijan over the disputed Karabakh region. The vote comes amid an escalating Russian pressure campaign that includes trade bans on Armenian exports, warnings of expulsion from the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union, and reports that Russia intends to transport tens of thousands of Armenian citizens living in Russia to the country to sway the result.