Russian-Armenian businessman's party challenges election results in high court

The opposition Strong Armenia alliance has filed a motion with the Constitutional Court seeking to invalidate the results of Armenia's June 7 parliamentary elections, alleging that the authorities orchestrated electoral violations during the vote, AzerNEWS reports.

Strong Armenia spokesperson and parliamentary candidate Marianna Ghahramanyan announced that the bloc had asked the court either to annul the results certified by the Central Electoral Commission or to order a second round of parliamentary elections.

According to the final results released by the Central Electoral Commission, the ruling Civil Contract party, led by Nikol Pashinyan, secured 49.7% of the vote, allowing it to retain a parliamentary majority. The Strong Armenia alliance finished second with 23.2%, while the Armenia Alliance, headed by former President Robert Kocharyan, received 9.9%.

Under the finalized seat distribution, Civil Contract will hold 64 seats in the new parliament, Strong Armenia, led by businessman Samvel Karapetyan, will have 29 seats, and the Armenia Alliance will secure 12 seats. Other political parties failed to cross the electoral threshold required for parliamentary representation.

Armenian authorities have rejected allegations of election fraud, maintaining that the vote was conducted in a free and transparent manner. Government officials have instead accused opposition groups, including Strong Armenia, of involvement in electoral violations, particularly vote-buying.

At the same time, Strong Armenia has faced multiple criminal investigations related to alleged vote-buying schemes. The alliance has denied wrongdoing and continues to challenge the legitimacy of the election outcome through legal channels.

The Constitutional Court is expected to review the complaint and determine whether there are sufficient grounds to reconsider the official results of the parliamentary vote.