Opposition leader calls for runoff after Armenia's parliamentary vote

Samvel Karapetyan, a businessman and philanthropist running as the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition Strong Armenia alliance, said on Friday his bloc is calling for a runoff vote following Sunday’s parliamentary elections.

Speaking to reporters outside a courthouse, Karapetyan argued that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party did not secure a legitimate victory. “They know it, we know it, and the world sees it,” he said. “If he is confident he won, then let’s legitimize this process and go the right way.”

Karapetyan added that his alliance had the option to take a more aggressive approach on election day but chose not to, insisting they wanted the process to remain legal. He declined to elaborate, calling the alternative strategy a “secret.”

“We need a government with full legitimacy so that Armenia can move forward and develop,” he said.