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Akbar Novruz

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Armenian opposition lawmaker Aram Vardevanyan has accused the ruling Civil Contract party of systemic violations during the country’s June 7 parliamentary election, raising allegations of administrative-resource abuse, selective justice and pressure on opposition figures during a speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Vardevanyan, a member of Armenia’s PACE delegation and deputy speaker of the National Assembly representing the opposition Strong Armenia faction, delivered the remarks during PACE’s discussion of its election observation report on Armenia.

“We often call elections the cornerstone of democracy, but its eternal value is equality of opportunity, the sacred guarantee that all political forces can compete under fair and equal conditions,” Vardevanyan said.

He argued that the PACE election observation report documented serious shortcomings in the electoral process, while accusing the Civil Contract party of responsibility for what he described as “systemic violations.”

“The election observation report clearly documents that the Armenian parliamentary elections on 7 June suffered systemic violations orchestrated by the Civil Contract party, featuring the flagrant abuse of administrative resources and an unprecedented wave of criminal proceedings explicitly targeting opposition figures,” he said.

“These facts brought to a widespread perception of selective justice and deliberately deterred opposition supporters from campaigning.”

Vardevanyan claimed that more than 300 members of the Strong Armenia alliance had been arrested or detained and alleged that the presumption of innocence had repeatedly been violated.

“The reality on the ground was shocking: over 300 members of the Strong Armenia alliance were arrested or detained, with continuous violations of the presumption of innocence. These calculated actions by the government generated a deep atmosphere of fear,” he said.

The opposition deputy also raised the case of Strong Armenia leader Samvel Karapetyan, arguing that restrictions imposed on him prevented him from campaigning.

“Equality of opportunity was diminished because the leader of the Strong Armenia alliance, Mr Samvel Karapetyan, was unlawfully held under house arrest, deprived of his right to campaign. Today, three opposition party leaders are deprived of liberty under political instructions from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,” Vardevanyan said.

He further alleged that the composition of Civil Contract’s electoral list blurred the distinction between the governing party and the state.

“Furthermore, over 90 percent of the ruling party’s electoral list was composed of state and public employees, obliterating the line between party and government, and equality of elections,” he said.

Vardevanyan also accused the governing party of using inflammatory rhetoric against its political opponents during the campaign.

“Instead of debating policy, the ruling party promoted vivid hate speech and intimidation, inter alia threats of physical retribution against opponents, and even threats of a new war if Civil Contract failed to retain a constitutional majority,” he said.

Turning to the Central Electoral Commission, Vardevanyan questioned its impartiality and criticized the invalidation of results at two polling stations.

“The Central Electoral Commission, headed by a founder of the ruling party, completely lacked impartiality. Under its own initiative, the results of two polling stations were invalidated, pushing an opposition party below the electoral threshold and transferring additional mandates to Civil Contract. The ruling party hurried to consolidate an artificial and unlawful three-fifths majority, diminishing the values of parliamentarism,” he said.

PACE’s election observation report separately expressed concern over inadequate campaign-finance oversight, biased media coverage, vote-buying, misuse of administrative resources, shortcomings in judicial remedies and the consequences of invalidating polling-station results for an opposition party’s representation. At the same time, the PACE delegation concluded that the June 7 election offered voters “a genuine choice among political alternatives in a well-run process” and described election day as orderly and calm.

Concluding his address, Vardevanyan argued that the report should serve as a basis for addressing shortcomings in Armenia’s electoral system.

“Dear colleagues, democracy cannot survive when the values of freedom and equality are unprotected. Therefore, the election observation report presented today at the Parliamentary Assembly is of paramount importance.

“The systemic violations by the ruling party are clearly exposed, and this can and should be considered a victory against the one-sided propaganda of the Civil Contract party. The Armenian people deserve an electoral process that is genuinely free, fair, and equal. The Republic of Armenia deserves a real democracy in conformity with European best practice.

“Thank you. God bless the Republic of Armenia. God bless you all.”