"We trust him, we love him, we respect him!"

Pashinian, a former newspaper editor, swept to power in 2018, spearheading peaceful protests against corrupt elites who ruled after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But many Armenians now feel betrayed, saying he led the country into a six-week war with arch-enemy Azerbaijan and signed an unpopular truce agreement last year that surrendered swathes of territory. The war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave claimed more than 6,000 lives.

"I will not vote for Pashinian again," said Elya Martikyan, a 29-year-old nurse.

"He's good at making threats, at brandishing a hammer."

Fear of further polarisation

Many also fear that instead of bringing relief after the trauma of war, the election could further polarise the country.

Polls show that Pashinian's Civil Contract Party is neck-to-neck with ex-president Robert Kocharyan's electoral bloc.

Both politicians are also planning to hold multiple rallies after the election.

Pashinian has said he expects his party to win 60% of the vote, an estimate some pollsters call "fantastical".

US-based political observer Arthur Martirosyan said Pashinian would not go down without a fight and might mobilise his supporters if he loses.

"For him, it's a matter of life and death," Martirosyan, a senior consultant with conflict management firm CMPartners, told AFP. He said Pashinian could face an inquiry over his handling of the war if he loses power.

A poll last week showed Kocharyan's bloc leading with 24.1%, followed by Pashinian's party with 23.8% and ex-leader Serzh Sargsyan's bloc with 7.4 percent.

‘No one to exceed 30%’

Aram Navasardyan who directs the pollster that carried out the survey, Marketing Professional Group (MPG), predicted that no one would get more than 30% of the vote.

A record four electoral blocs and 22 parties are running in the elections and most have campaigned on a pro-Russian platform.

Russia, a long-standing strategic ally, helped broker the truce agreement with Azerbaijan and its peacekeepers have been deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Only a handful of parties are expected to win seats in parliament.