Opposition accuses Armenia's ruling party of hate speech during elections

A lawyer representing the opposition Strong Armenia alliance on Monday accused the ruling Civil Contract party of engaging in hate speech and distorting the principles of the recent parliamentary elections, during a hearing at Armenia’s Constitutional Court.

Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan made the remarks while presenting the alliance’s position in a consolidated case reviewing complaints submitted by seven political groups challenging the official results of the June 7 parliamentary elections.

Responding to a question from Constitutional Court justice Edgar Shatiryan on whether the election campaign had primarily unfolded along ideological and programmatic lines or through personal attacks, Vardevanyan said Strong Armenia had campaigned on a policy-driven platform, highlighting its candidate for prime minister, businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan.

He contrasted it with the ruling Civil Contract party, which he said had relied on inflammatory rhetoric.

“It was Civil Contract that engaged in hate speech,” Vardevanyan said. “We have legal and factual evidence to support this claim. When such rhetoric comes from the head of the executive branch, who holds state power, its influence is incomparable to similar language used by other political forces or to any deviation from campaign platforms.”

Vardevanyan further argued that Strong Armenia encountered significant obstacles during the electoral process that affected the outcome. He pointed in particular to the house arrest of Karapetyan and widespread detentions of Strong Armenia members.