Surenyants demands annulment of Pashinyan's election registration, citing 'fake leave'

Political analyst and MP candidate Suren Surenyants has accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of abusing his authority while officially on leave, urging Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) to annul his registration for the June 7 parliamentary elections.

At a press briefing on Thursday, Surenyants charged that Pashinyan issued “a package of unlawful instructions” during a livestream, including directives against rival candidate Andranik Tevanyan and the Ararat Cement company owned by opposition leader Gagik Tsarukyan. He described the episode as “an unprecedented aberration,” noting that Pashinyan publicly announced he would name an alleged spy and then instructed law enforcement to pursue charges in real time.

Under Armenia’s Electoral Code, Pashinyan is formally on leave during the campaign period, which bars law enforcement agencies from reporting to him. Surenyants argued that the premier nevertheless received and acted upon official briefings, calling it proof of a “fake leave.” He insisted this violation alone should be grounds for the CEC to cancel Pashinyan’s candidacy.

Surenyants pointed to three recent incidents as evidence of a broader pattern: Pashinyan’s remarks about Tsarukyan, followed swiftly by a prosecutor’s statement; his comments on Ararat Cement, echoed minutes later by prosecutorial action; and his latest livestream, which Surenyants predicted would again trigger legal proceedings.

“This is the third such case in barely a week,” he said. “No democratic state tolerates a head of government ordering criminal prosecution against opponents live on air.”