Armenian opposition party decries court appeal as futile after elections

The National Democratic Union declared on Friday that appealing to Armenia’s Constitutional Court over the June 7 parliamentary elections would be “pointless,” alleging systemic fraud and asserting that the judiciary is poised to legitimize the disputed results.

In a sharply worded statement, party leader Vazgen Manukyan accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government of orchestrating widespread irregularities and using coercive tactics against opposition figures. “This was not a routine electoral process; it was of strategic importance for Armenia,” the party said, adding that opposition leaders failed to mount a unified front despite prior calls for coordination.

The party claimed the authorities had garnered no more than 35–37 percent of the vote, pointing to Pashinyan’s swift election-night declaration of victory as a mobilization order to state institutions. The party argued that opposition hesitation in the immediate aftermath allowed the government to consolidate control.

The statement outlined six priorities for the party’s ongoing struggle, including the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, the safe return of displaced Artsakh Armenians, blocking externally driven constitutional changes, halting settlement of Azerbaijanis in Armenia, freeing political prisoners and preventing Armenia from becoming a battleground in the West-Russia confrontation.

“Hundreds of thousands of citizens are ready to fight for their ideas and goals,” it said, insisting that change in Armenia is “inevitable”.