Armenian opposition candidate says election results do not reflect voters' will

An opposition candidate in Armenia’s parliamentary elections on Wednesday challenged the legitimacy of the preliminary results announced by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), arguing that widespread violations before and during the vote prevented a genuine expression of the electorate’s will.

Gohar Meloyan, a constitutional law expert and parliamentary candidate representing the Strong Armenia party, told reporters that fundamental electoral principles, including equality, fairness, transparency and the secrecy of the ballot, were seriously compromised in Sunday’s elections.

“The preliminary results released by the Central Electoral Commission are a direct consequence of the scale of these violations and interference,” Meloyan said. “As a result, they do not accurately reflect the will of Armenia’s eligible voters.”

Meloyan alleged that irregularities extended far beyond election day, describing a sustained campaign of pressure against Strong Armenia. She stressed party members and supporters were subjected to unlawful arrests, detentions and other forms of interference throughout the pre-election period.

“Throughout the campaign, we sought to remain focused on the electoral process and refrained from publicly discussing what our colleagues and supporters were experiencing,” she said. “Now is the time to bring those incidents to light.”

According to Meloyan, the reported violations raise broader concerns about the state’s ability to safeguard citizens’ constitutional right to freely determine the country’s political future.

Citing Armenia’s Constitution, she emphasized that political authority derives from the people and argued that any large-scale interference in the electoral process runs counter to that fundamental democratic principle.