Karapetyan says Armenian government change would be 'final'

Narek Karapetyan, a senior member of the opposition Strong Armenia party, said a change of government in Armenia would come in "one process," possibly unfolding in several stages, and would be "final," while alleging widespread irregularities in the country's June 7 parliamentary elections.

Strong Armenia finished second in the June 7 parliamentary elections.

In a televised interviews on Monday, Karapetyan argued that Armenia's constitution allows a political force to lead the government without receiving more than 50% of the vote. He said that, in his view, a majority of voters did not support Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan or want his political force to remain in power.

He also stated that the election was marred by widespread fraud, voter intimidation and administrative pressure, including threats of dismissal from jobs and the detention of hundreds of people on election day. Karapetyan further claimed that the authorities had prevented a transparent vote and that approximately 50,000 ballots cast by Armenian citizens had effectively been "stolen".

Karapetyan said he believes public demand for a change of power is growing.

"It will happen once — perhaps in several stages — but it will happen only once, and it will be final," he said.