YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Several members of Armenia’s opposition were arrested Friday while a major pro-Russia party asked the top court to annul this month’s election win by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling party, alleging electoral violations and suppression of the opposition.The opposition Strong Armenia party appealed to the Constitutional Court to invalidate election results or call a second round of voting, and denounced the arrests of opposition politicians as an assault on democracy. Several other opposition parties followed suit, similarly accusing the ruling party of forcing public sectors workers to vote for it and bribing other voters.The Armenian authorities have denied any electoral violations and have accused the opposition of bribing voters.The court is set to decide in two days whether to hear the case. Final results of the June 7 vote released by the Central Election Commission showed Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party winning 49.7% of the ballot, allowing it to again form the government as it seeks to distance Armenia from Moscow and deepen ties with the West.
Observers have given the election mixed reviews. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Armenian voters were offered a “genuine choice” while also noting that the campaign was “highly confrontational” and marked by allegations of electoral violations that led to many criminal cases against opposition candidates, raising a perception of “selective justice.”
