YEREVAN (oc-media.org) —Armenia’s Central Elections Commission has rejected an appeal to revoke the registration of the opposition Strong Armenia alliance, a day before key parliamentary elections.
The group founded by the Russian–Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan has for months been polling second to the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, and is widely seen as being the government’s main challenger.
The late-night ruling in the early hours of Saturday morning came in response to an appeal on Friday by representatives of the Republic Party, a minor opposition group that has worked closely with Civil Contract. In 2023, the two entered into a governing coalition in the Yerevan City Council after no party secured a majority in the city council elections.
Republic Party leader Aram Sargsyan announced his intention to appeal to the CEC to bar Strong Armenia during the final televised debate between candidates on Thursday.
‘We will see what they do — whether their judicial system will act on it, or whether the Prime Minister will once again shift the blame onto the judicial system and say that, well, all of that has not been reformed’, Sargsyan said.
