Lawyer questions Armenian election commission chief's impartiality

Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan, a member of the opposition Strong Armenia alliance, claims that Central Electoral Commission Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan cannot serve as an independent and impartial arbiter of Armenia’s electoral process.

Speaking ahead of Constitutional Court hearings on challenges to the June 7 parliamentary election results on Monday, Vardevanyan argued that Hovakimyan’s role as a founding member of a political party undermines his neutrality. “It’s not simply that he was once affiliated with a party – he was a founding member,” Vardevanyan told reporters.

He accused the commission of failing to exercise adequate oversight during the election and disregarding a court ruling that required a repeat vote in one district. “That is directly tied to electoral fraud,” he asserted.

Vardevanyan also pointed to broader concerns about judicial independence in Armenia, emphasizing that only the Constitutional Court can rise above political pressures to adjudicate disputes over the election. He alleged that the vote was marred by hate speech, misuse of administrative resources and other violations that undermined equality and freedom.

The Constitutional Court began hearings on June 26 to review petitions filed by seven opposition groups contesting the election outcome.