In Armenia, the CEC refused to remove the main pro-Russian bloc from elections

 

 

In Armenia, the CEC refused to remove the main pro-Russian bloc from elections

Nasha Niva

On June 6, the Central Election Commission of Armenia, a day before the parliamentary elections, refused to remove the opposition bloc “Strong Armenia”, led by the Armenian-Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. This was reported by the Armenian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Radio Azatutyun).

The pro-European “Republic” party filed a statement regarding the disqualification of the political bloc. Its representatives cited criminal cases related to alleged voter bribery and concealment of property interests during the election campaign.

In turn, representatives of “Strong Armenia” rejected all accusations, calling them baseless. According to them, no proven violations of electoral law were presented.

After a two-hour review, the CEC unanimously rejected the demand to annul the bloc’s registration. The commission stated that the arguments presented by supporters of “Strong Armenia”‘s removal were based mainly on assumptions and did not provide sufficient grounds for such a decision.

Nevertheless, legal problems persist around “Strong Armenia” ahead of the elections. It is reported that six candidates from the bloc were arrested on charges of money laundering and other offenses. Furthermore, a criminal case was initiated against Narek Karapetyan, the leader of the election list, who is accused of concealing Russian citizenship.

Parliamentary elections in Armenia will take place on June 7. The main opponent of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party is the “Strong Armenia” bloc, which advocates for closer ties with Russia and emphasizes the importance of economic and military cooperation between the two countries.

In recent years, Armenia has been actively developing relations with the European Union. In early 2025, the country’s authorities launched a process related to potential EU membership. However, the Armenian leadership still emphasizes that an official application for accession has not yet been submitted, and the question of a referendum on this topic is not yet on the agenda.

Against the backdrop of the election campaign, the European Commission previously expressed concern about possible attempts of external influence on political processes in Armenia. In turn, the leadership of the European Union declared its support for the country in its cooperation with European structures.