Armenian Parliament Bans Parties From Using Personal Names, Karapetyan Alliance Left Nameless And Confused

Armenia's Parliament has approved amendments to the electoral code that prohibit the use of personal names in the titles of party alliances. The move affects the newly formed coalition of Russian–Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, which had included his name in its alliance title, Strong Armenia, AzerNEWS reports.

The amendments, proposed by three MPs from the ruling Civil Contract party, were passed on Tuesday with 67 votes in favor and 6 against. The changes come just ahead of the 7 June parliamentary elections, with candidate nominations beginning five days later. Civil Contract MPs stated that the previous removal of this provision was a“technical error.”

Karapetyan, currently under house arrest and facing multiple charges in Armenia, has been named the coalition's prime ministerial candidate. Under the Armenian constitution, however, he is ineligible to run for parliament or serve as prime minister because he holds Russian and Cypriot citizenships in addition to Armenian citizenship and has not lived in the country for the past four years.

The coalition also includes two smaller parties, New Era and United Armenians. Earlier discussions to include more established parties, such as the Armenian National Congress led by former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, did not result in an agreement.

Opposition figures criticized the amendments as politically motivated.“The largest opposition political force that has declared its participation has already announced its name, and suddenly you introduce a law that restricts and prohibits doing that,” said Hayk Mamijanyan of the I Have Honour faction, calling the move“unlawful.”

Ruling party representatives defended the changes, stating that the amendments align with the logic of a proportional electoral system and ensure that elections focus on political parties rather than individual personalities.

As the session was underway, Karapetyan's supporters held a protest near the parliament. Video footage shared online showed a small crowd, with some participants either declining to comment or denying involvement. Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan later remarked on social media that the gathering was small and encouraged opposition supporters to visit the area, noting that “it's actually quite fun.”

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