An exit poll shows that Armenia's ruling Republican Party won parliamentary elections held on Sunday.

The survey by Gallup International Association shows President Serzh Sarkisian's party with roughly 44 percent of the vote.

The exit poll shows the Prosperous Armenia Party in second place with nearly 29 percent of the vote.

The two parties were partners in Armenia's previous coalition government.

President Sarkisian's ruling party was hoping to win more than half of the 131 seat in the national assembly and avoid having to enter another power-sharing deal.

Armenians voted Sunday in the country's first elections since 2008, when a presidential poll sparked deadly clashes between police and protesters.

The parliamentary campaigns centered on unemployment, poverty and Armenia's long-running disputes with neighbors Turkey and Azerbaijan.