Strong Armenia seeks to void parliamentary vote won by Pashinyan
The pro-Russian opposition party alleges voting irregularities after Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party won the June 7 election.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
Armenia’s pro-Russian Strong Armenia party asked the country’s election commission on Friday to annul the June 7 parliamentary election, alleging voting irregularities, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The challenge targets Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s victory in a vote watched closely because of Armenia’s tilt toward Western partners and its strained relationship with Moscow.
Aram Vardevanyan, representing the opposition alliance, told reporters in Yerevan that the petition had been filed and said the result claimed by Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party should not stand, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. The governing party won 49.8 percent of the vote, while Strong Armenia received 23.2 percent, the outlets reported.
Strong Armenia had campaigned on preserving Armenia’s traditionally close relationship with Russia, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. Pashinyan’s party has strengthened ties with Western countries since taking power in 2018, according to the same report.
Armenia’s Central Election Commission on Thursday invalidated tallies from two polling stations, citing a concentration of military personnel at voting sites after polls had closed, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The commission is expected to release final results on Sunday.
Opposition groups have complained that arrests before the election targeted their parliamentary candidates and supporters, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. A group of international election observers said voting ran smoothly in most polling stations while also noting allegations of vote-buying and other violations.
Moscow condemned the result after it became clear Pashinyan had won and claimed the election was affected by Western interference, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. Analysts accused Russia of spreading online misinformation and Kremlin-friendly narratives that framed cooperation with the West as dangerous, according to the report.
Russia retains a military base in Armenia and remains one of Yerevan’s top trading partners, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. Armenia froze its participation in the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union in 2024 but stayed in the bloc as Pashinyan sought pragmatic relations with Russia, according to the same report.
The Kremlin has warned that Armenia cannot belong to both the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. Before the election, Russia’s agricultural watchdog suspended seafood imports from Armenia, a sector that sends 30 percent of its exports to Russia, according to the report.
Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters also reported bans on Armenian flowers, mineral water and alcohol. The European Union accused Russia of trying to damage Armenia’s economy in order to affect the election outcome, according to the report.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.