**Armenian Opposition Demands Annulment of Election Results Amid Allegations of Misconduct**
The political landscape in Armenia is becoming increasingly contentious as the opposition Strong Armenia bloc has formally petitioned the constitutional court to annul the results of the June 7 parliamentary elections. This move comes amid serious allegations that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government engaged in widespread electoral violations during the voting process.
In the recent elections, Pashinyan’s ruling party, Civil Contract, claimed a significant victory, securing 49.74% of the votes according to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). The Strong Armenia bloc, which placed second, garnered 23.27% of the votes. Another opposition group, the Armenia Alliance, led by former President Robert Kocharyan, received 9.92%. Notably, businessman Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia party fell just short of the 4% threshold necessary for parliamentary representation, obtaining 3.98%. This outcome was crucial for Civil Contract, allowing it to maintain a constitutional majority in parliament, which enables the ruling party to pass legislation and appoint officials without needing support from opposition parties.
The Strong Armenia bloc, founded by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, has accused the ruling party of manipulating the electoral process. They allege that approximately 100,000 votes were obtained through the misuse of administrative resources, including coercion of public-sector employees and military personnel to support Civil Contract. In a statement released via Facebook, Strong Armenia articulated its concerns, citing “mass and organized election violations” by the authorities and calling for a new election.
The constitutional court is expected to decide within two days whether to accept the opposition's application for review. If the application is deemed admissible, the court is required to issue a final ruling within 15 days of registration. The court has reportedly received seven similar complaints from various political entities, including Strong Armenia, Prosperous Armenia, and the Armenia Alliance.
In the wake of the election results, protests erupted outside the CEC headquarters, with hundreds of demonstrators demanding the annulment of the election results. Prime Minister Pashinyan responded to the unrest by labeling the opposition parties that entered parliament as illegitimate, vowing to strip them of their political standing.
Additionally, on the same day, prosecutors initiated a criminal case against former President Kocharyan, accusing him of abuse of power and money laundering related to an allegedly illegal real estate deal from 2004. Kocharyan's legal team has dismissed these allegations as a politically motivated attack. In a related development, the CEC voted to lift Kocharyan’s immunity from prosecution, further intensifying the political climate.
The situation is further complicated by the ongoing detention of another opposition leader, Samvel Karapetyan, who has been in custody since last year on charges of plotting a coup, which he denies. Prime Minister Pashinyan has also announced plans to confiscate assets belonging to the three main opposition leaders, accusing them of leveraging their wealth to influence the elections and asserting that they “should be left hungry.”
As the political tensions rise in Armenia, the outcome of the constitutional court's decision regarding the annulment of the election results could have significant implications for the country's governance and political stability. The opposition's allegations of electoral misconduct and the government's response are likely to shape the political discourse in the coming weeks.