Prosperous Armenia accuses Pashinyan government of intimidation campaign ahead of June 7 elections

Armenia’s opposition Prosperous Armenia Party on Monday accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his ruling Civil Contract party of escalating political intimidation and fostering a climate of hostility ahead of the country’s June 7 parliamentary elections.

At a press briefing in Yerevan, Iveta Tonoyan, spokesperson for the Prosperous Armenia Party, said Pashinyan’s recent public rhetoric had been dominated by “personal threats, uncivilized language and calls for political retribution” against opposition figures rather than substantive policy debate.

“The ruling party’s campaign contains virtually no element of political discourse,” Tonoyan said. “While opposition forces are using this campaign period to outline their programs and priorities, the government has shifted the political conversation into the realm of threats, insults and intimidation.”

Tonoyan alleged that the rhetoric had increasingly targeted Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, as well as members of his family, describing the attacks as evidence of the prime minister’s inability to offer a compelling political message.

She further accused the authorities of exploiting state and administrative resources to suppress dissent and pressure opposition figures during the election campaign.

“Directed acts of political retaliation are taking place, particularly against the Prosperous Armenia Party and members of our political team,” Tonoyan said. “Various criminal cases are being initiated as part of this process.”

Despite what she described as mounting pressure from the authorities, Tonoyan said the opposition party would maintain a measured and disciplined approach throughout the campaign.

“Our restraint appears to unsettle them, while they continue to behave in an increasingly erratic manner,” she said. “For us, politics does not end on June 7. We intend to preserve our standards and political culture beyond the election.”

Tonoyan also warned that the government was pursuing a “dangerous course” by encouraging political polarization and deepening divisions within Armenian society.

“Pashinyan has chosen a path of cultivating fear, hatred and intolerance,” she said. “That approach will fail.”