Key facts
- Armenia's Constitutional Court rejected an opposition request to annul the June parliamentary election results.
Armenia's Constitutional Court has rejected a request by the pro-Russian Strong Armenia opposition bloc to overturn the results of a June parliamentary election. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party was re-elected in the vote.
The court's decision solidifies Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's re-election, reinforcing his pro-Western stance and potentially impacting Armenia's geopolitical alignment with Russia.
Armenia's Constitutional Court on Saturday rejected a request by the pro-Russian Strong Armenia opposition bloc to overturn the results of a June parliamentary election. The ruling Civil Contract party, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, was re-elected in the vote.
The Strong Armenia bloc, which secured 23.3% of the vote, had alleged electoral irregularities and suppression of opposition candidates. Several members of the opposition were arrested in the days leading up to the election on charges of vote-buying, which the opposition denounced as an assault on democracy. Armenian authorities have denied any electoral violations and have accused the opposition of bribing voters.
International observers, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), noted allegations of vote-buying and other violations but stated that voting generally proceeded smoothly. The OSCE also described the campaign as "highly confrontational."
Final results from the Central Election Commission showed Pashinyan's Civil Contract party winning 49.7% of the ballot, allowing it to form the government. Pashinyan's administration has sought to distance Armenia from Moscow and deepen ties with the West.
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