CEC grants prosecutor's requests in Armenian opposition candidate's case, lawyer says

Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has approved two requests submitted by the Prosecutor General’s Office concerning David Ghazinyan, a parliamentary candidate of the opposition Strong Armenia alliance, lawyer and fellow candidate Aram Vardevanyan said after the commission’s session on Wednesday.

The requests reportedly relate to authorizing criminal prosecution and approving a measure of detention in connection with vote-buying allegations.

Vardevanyan strongly criticized the decision, arguing that the proceedings lacked sufficient legal grounding and detailed justification.

“This is not reasonable. The institution is not maintaining even a minimal legal standard. I deeply regret the decision,” he told reporters, adding that he had rarely encountered such motions in his legal practice.

According to previously published information from Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee dated June 6, Ghazinyan had not obstructed the investigation, evaded authorities, or committed further offenses during the proceedings. However, Vardevanyan said the commission still concluded that restricting his liberty was warranted.