Armenia's CEC allowed the pro-Russian "Strong Armenia" bloc to participate in the June 7 elections

The Central Electoral Commission of Armenia unanimously rejected the application of the "Republic" party to cancel the registration of the opposition bloc "Strong Armenia" a day before the parliamentary elections on June 7. "Strong Armenia" is considered a pro-Russian force: the bloc advocates for the restoration of relations with Russia and criticizes Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's course toward rapprochement with the EU. This was reported by the Armenian bureau of Radio Liberty, according to UNN.

Details

The Central Electoral Commission, after a two-hour review of the Republican Party's application to declare the registration of the "Strong Armenia" party invalid, unanimously rejected it

Reading the decision, CEC Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan stated that there are no grounds for declaring the registration invalid, and the petition to declare it null and void is based on assumptions.

According to the electoral code, the registration of a party or alliance can be declared invalid by a decision of at least five members of the Central Electoral Commission if it is discovered after registration that the party's documents were falsified.

The electoral code describes what "falsified" means: one example is given—the illegitimacy of a party congress or its governing body, or their inability to make necessary decisions, but only if this is confirmed by a court decision. CEC members noted that there were no grounds for declaring the registration invalid in this case

Regarding the declaration of a party's registration as invalid, in this case, the court may cancel the registration of a party or association if it concludes that a violation was committed or organized by a candidate or party participating in the elections.

The "Republic" party proposed that the CEC approach the Anti-Corruption Committee with a request for information, as well as the Prosecutor General's Office and the National Security Service regarding information on individuals under law enforcement scrutiny in connection with voter bribery, within the framework of criminal proceedings conducted by the Anti-Corruption Committee. The CEC rejected this proposal.

"Strong Armenia" is considered a pro-Russian force: the bloc advocates for the restoration of relations with Russia and criticizes Pashinyan's course toward rapprochement with the EU.

The leader of the bloc, Narek Karapetyan, holds significant assets in Russia. The candidate for prime minister, Samvel Karapetyan, is named as a defendant in a criminal case regarding an attempted coup d'état and the financing of pro-Russian armed groups; he is currently under house arrest.

As a reminder

Russia has significantly intensified political, informational, and economic pressure on Armenia ahead of the parliamentary elections on June 7 of this year.