YEREVAN, May 26 (AFP) - An unlikely alliance between Armenia's defense minister and former communist boss looks set to poll strongly in Sunday's parliamentary elections, but it remains unclear if the party can secure an overall majority. Most political observers believe that Miasnutiun (Unity), a political union between Soviet-era leader Karen Demirchian and defense head Vazgen Sarkissian, will easily top the poll in which 21 parties are to compete for seats. Pre-election soundings give the alliance anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of the vote, while the next four major contenders are expected to gather around five to 10 percent. Some 2.2 million registered voters in Armenia and abroad are entitled to cast their ballots for the 131-seat parliament, 75 members of which are elected directly with the rest being chosen from party lists. Besides Unity, the Communist Party, rightist National Democratic Union (NDU), nationalist Dashnaktsutiun, and the former government party Armenian National Movement are expected to clear the five-percent barrier to enter parliament. Viewed by many as a marriage of convenience, Miasnutiun is seen to combine the immense personal popularity of Demirchian with Sarkissian's political machine. "Demirchian doesn't have a platform, but he has enormous personal appeal," said one western official. "Vazgen has no appeal, no platform, but he has an organization." Given up as a political has-been only a short while ago, Demirchian stormed back from oblivion in last year's presidential election to capture some 40 percent in a runoff against President Robert Kocharian. His appeal is rooted mostly in the population's nostalgia for the security and stability of the Soviet period. "Demirchian represents the days when the trains ran on time," said one observer. The dark, bearded Sarkissian, for his part, is believed to be one of the most powerful men in the country and a key figure behind former President Levon Ter-Petrossian's resignation, which brought Kocharian to power. The gregarious communist chief's popularity is already seen to be slipping somewhat, however, due to his alliance with Sarkissian. "The union between Demirchian and Sarkissian is very suspicious," said Sarkis, 62. "I don't like how Demirchian is going around with the man who is responsible for today's difficult situation." The two men's election platform is vague, promising a more socially-oriented government and playing on the population's exhaustion after eight years of transition to a market economy. The pre-election campaign has focused exclusively on the country's economy, and leftist parties are expected to do well, with the Communist Party and its allies winning up to 20 percent according to some predictions. Unofficial statistics place unemployment at around 30 percent and an average salary stands at a paltry 34 dollars. Some studies say that more than half of the country lives near or under the poverty line. But even if the communists do not win as big a victory as some expect, most observers believe that the new parliament will lean more to the left, since all parties promise to raise social spending and create jobs. Many voters say that they are not as concerned who controls parliament as they are that the vote be free of the kind of falsification and ballot stuffing seen in the 1995, 1996 and 1998 contests. Cynicism is widespread among the electorate. Some observers fear that voter turnout will be low, as a large portion of the population does not believe that their votes will count. Although this time no one party represents the government and President Robert Kocharian has guaranteed the elections will be free and fair, some observers fear that authorities will interfere in favour of individual candidates.  