Lawyer says Armenia's parliamentary elections violated Constitution, urges court to annul results

A lawyer representing the opposition Strong Armenia alliance told the Constitutional Court that the June 7 parliamentary elections violated the country's Constitution and urged the court to invalidate the official results, citing extensive and coordinated electoral irregularities.

Addressing the court during hearings on consolidated petitions filed by seven political parties and alliances contesting the election, attorney Aram Vardevanyan argued that the violations collectively amounted to a breach of Article 7 of the Constitution.

"We are convinced that the elections violated Article 7 of the Constitution. The cumulative effect of the electoral violations constitutes such a violation," Vardevanyan stated.

He said the alliance had detailed its allegations in its petition and submitted supporting evidence, adding that the filings also included "deeply concerning" circumstances surrounding the vote.

Vardevanyan maintained that the Constitutional Court has sufficient legal grounds to invalidate the Central Election Commission's June 14 Resolution No. 258-A certifying the election results. He urged the court to either order a new allocation of parliament seats based on revised results or call a second round of voting.

"We believe every remedy available to the Constitutional Court under the law could be applied in this case. The circumstances are genuinely exceptional," he said.