Lawyer claims misuse of administrative resources undermined Armenian election integrity

The misuse of administrative resources during Armenia's June 7 parliamentary elections fundamentally altered the electoral environment in ways that cannot always be measured, a lawyer representing one of the opposition parties challenging the results told the Constitutional Court on Friday.

Liparit Drmeyan, a member of the Wings of Unity party, argued during hearings on a joint case brought by seven political forces contesting the election outcome that the court should focus on whether public confidence in the election was preserved rather than whether the fate of every individual vote can be proven.

He argued that if systemic violations had eroded public confidence, the election results should not be upheld simply because the precise numerical impact of those violations cannot be calculated.

"If there is one issue from all the materials in this case that deserves the Constitutional Court's primary attention, it is the use of administrative resources," Drmeyan said. "Not because it is necessarily the gravest violation in itself, but because it invisibly changes the entire electoral environment."

Drmeyan contrasted the misuse of administrative resources with more visible election violations, saying vote-buying can be observed, falsified protocols can be uncovered, and ballot-box stuffing can be documented. The misuse of administrative resources, he argued, operates differently by distorting the rules of political competition.

"It creates unequal starting conditions and allows the ruling team to use the state's organizational, informational and human resources on a scale that is unavailable to its competitors," he said.

For that reason, Drmeyan argued, international law recognizes the abuse of administrative resources as one of the most serious threats to free and fair elections.

The Wings of Unity party is asking the Constitutional Court to invalidate the results of the June 7 parliamentary elections and order a new vote.