Armenia Arrests 6 Opposition Candidates Hours Before Polls Open

(MENAFN) Armenian authorities detained six parliamentary candidates from the opposition Strong Armenia bloc on Saturday, just one day before the country votes in a high-stakes general election that could reshape the country's geopolitical trajectory.

The Central Election Commission rejected calls to strike Strong Armenia from the ballot entirely but approved requests for criminal proceedings and pre-trial detention against six of the bloc's candidates: Hayk Avagyan, Susan Badalyan, Artur Abrahamyan, Vahe Tavakalyan, Vahe Yeghiazaryan, and Ashot Sahakyan.

The Investigative Committee justified the arrests in a formal statement, saying: "In the course of the preliminary investigation into a criminal case concerning the material inducement of numerous individuals and the laundering of funds on an especially large scale, public criminal prosecution has been initiated against six parliamentary candidates from the Strong Armenia bloc," adding that all six were placed under arrest.

The detentions follow a turbulent campaign period in which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan — who rose to power in 2018 on the wave of the so-called 'Velvet Revolution' — publicly called during televised debates for the registration of several major opposition groups to be revoked. Opposition parties have condemned the pre-election crackdown as a coordinated campaign of political intimidation.

Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party, which has championed deeper EU integration while preserving historically close ties with Russia, is widely expected to retain its position as the largest single party in parliament. However, analysts suggest it may fall short of securing an outright majority, potentially forcing complex coalition negotiations. The prime minister faces a fragmented opposition landscape comprising 17 parties and political blocs. The Strong Armenia bloc, helmed by Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, holds second place in polling, though exact figures fluctuate significantly across pollsters — complicated further by how many parties clear the 4% threshold and how approximately 30% of undecided voters ultimately break.

The arrests have drawn sharp condemnation from Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Armenian authorities of sabotaging democratic norms, arguing the move casts serious doubt over the election's legitimacy. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev charged that Pashinyan was "trying to knock out all his rivals in the elections."

The geopolitical stakes surrounding Sunday's vote are considerable. Moscow has cautioned that deepening EU integration would render Armenia's continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) untenable due to conflicting regulatory standards. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in May that Armenia could forfeit up to 14% of its GDP should it exit the bloc. Earlier this month, former President Robert Kocharyan cautioned that Pashinyan's government is "artificially" steering Armenia toward enmity with Russia, drawing parallels with the trajectory taken by Ukraine.

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