YEREVAN, Armenia — Tension has escalated in Armenia as several opposition figures were arrested on Friday, while a major pro-Russian political party has petitioned the Constitutional Court to annul the recent election victory of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling party, citing widespread electoral fraud and the suppression of political rivals.
The Strong Armenia party has requested the court to invalidate the election results or mandate a second round of voting, condemning the detentions of opposition politicians as a direct assault on the nation’s democratic institutions. Other opposition groups have echoed these sentiments, alleging that the ruling party coerced public sector employees to vote for them and engaged in widespread voter bribery.
Armenian authorities have denied all allegations of electoral misconduct and have countered by accusing the opposition of attempting to bribe voters.
The Constitutional Court is expected to decide within two days whether it will formally hear the challenge.
According to the Central Election Commission, the June 7 election results indicated that Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party secured 49.7% of the vote. This victory paves the way for the party to maintain government control as it pursues a policy of distancing Armenia from Moscow in favor of closer ties with Western nations.
International observers provided a nuanced assessment of the electoral process. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) noted that while voters were presented with a “genuine choice,” the campaign environment was “highly confrontational.” The OSCE also highlighted that numerous criminal cases filed against opposition candidates created a perception of “selective justice.”
Strong Armenia is led by Samvel Karapetyan, an Armenian-Russian billionaire who built his wealth in Russia. Karapetyan is currently under house arrest on charges of plotting to overthrow the government—allegations he maintains are politically motivated. On the eve of the election, Armenian investigators issued six arrest warrants for Strong Armenia members, alleging involvement in vote-buying schemes.
Following these developments, additional opposition members were detained on Friday under similar allegations of voter bribery.
Ruslan Barsegyan and Ashot Egiazaryan, both candidates on the Strong Armenia ticket, have been remanded in custody for two months pending an investigation. Meanwhile, Asatur Kocharyan of the Armenia bloc has been placed under house arrest.
The arrests also included former lawmaker and government critic Ruben Akopyan on Friday, and opposition politician David Kazinyan on Thursday.
In response, Strong Armenia characterized the detentions as an “attempt to completely destroy democracy in the country.”
“The investigative bodies, the prosecutor’s office, and the courts have been weaponized by this government to punish and suppress the opposition,” the party stated. ”We will not tolerate this and will fight to the end with the full force of the law and with determination.”
Analyst and former lawmaker Mikayel Zolyan viewed the arrests as a strategic move by authorities to prevent the opposition from destabilizing the country. “Pashinyan is sending a message to pro-Russian forces that if they believe they can incite unrest to achieve their goals… they shouldn’t even try,” Zolyan remarked.
Russia, which maintains a military presence in Armenia, has warned that Yerevan’s pivot toward the West could result in severe political and economic repercussions. President Vladimir Putin has drawn parallels between Armenia’s trajectory and that of Ukraine, suggesting that Russia’s conflict in Ukraine was driven by Ukraine’s pursuit of an EU association agreement.
In the weeks leading up to the vote, Moscow implemented several trade sanctions, including import bans on Armenian brandy, wine, flowers, and fruit. While Moscow claimed these measures were due to agricultural regulation violations, OSCE monitors characterized them as “direct pressure” intended to influence the Armenian electorate.
