Armenian authorities arrested six candidates from the pro-Russian Strong Armenia party on Saturday, one day before general elections. The party's leader, Samvel Karapetyan, is under house arrest on charges of inciting government overthrow. The election is seen as a test of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's policies.
Armenian authorities arrested six candidates from the pro-Russian opposition party, Strong Armenia, on Saturday, a day before general elections. State media reported the detentions without specifying a reason. The party is led by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who is currently under house arrest on charges of inciting the overthrow of the government, which he denies. Armenia's relationship with Russia has become a central issue in the election, with Moscow recently imposing export restrictions on Armenian goods due to Yerevan's closer ties with the West. Around 2.4 million Armenians are eligible to vote in an election that also tests Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's peace efforts with Azerbaijan. Polls indicate Strong Armenia has between 6% and 11% support, placing it second behind Pashinyan's Civil Contract party. The Central Election Commission reportedly permitted investigators to initiate criminal proceedings against the six candidates. The Investigative Committee did not immediately respond to queries. The Interior Ministry had previously reported identifying 78 pre-election crimes and detaining 44 individuals.
The arrests of opposition candidates on the eve of an election raise concerns about the fairness of the electoral process and could impact Armenia's geopolitical alignment, particularly its relationship with Russia.