Just days before Gyumri’s municipal elections on March 30, opposition candidates and their supporters are facing mounting pressure from law enforcement agencies.
On March 27, a series of detentions, searches, and interrogations targeted opposition figures, raising concerns over the fairness of the electoral process.
The International Center for the Development of Parliamentarism, together with the Hayekve observation mission, issued a statement condemning what they describe as the involvement of law enforcement agencies in suppressing opposition candidates.
According to their report:
Ruben Mkhitaryan, a candidate from the My Strong Community party, was summoned to the Investigative Committee for questioning, forcing him to halt his campaign and leave for Yerevan.
The Anti-Corruption Committee conducted a search at the office of the Mother Armenia alliance and the home of candidate Ara Voskanyan. Employees were detained in Yerevan, and Voskanyan’s lawyer was prevented from entering his client’s house.
Searches were also conducted at the offices of the Our City party alliance.
Reports suggest that opposition supporters are being summoned to police stations.
The statement emphasizes that Armenia’s elections should be conducted on the principles of universal, equal, free, and direct suffrage. It warns that even if law enforcement agencies identify criminal activity, their actions should not include punitive measures that influence or hinder political campaigning.
Meanwhile, Martun Grigoryan, a mayoral candidate from the Our City alliance, has accused authorities of politically motivated charges against his family members. He revealed that his campaign offices were raided just days before the election, and law enforcement is now framing a street cobbling project he oversaw in early March as electoral bribery.
“We are used to this. Before every election, similar actions are taken against me, my team, and my family. It has become a regular occurrence,” Grigoryan told reporters.
Concerns over political interference are further heightened by reports from Zhoghovurd daily, which claim that Sarik Minasyan, the Civil Contract party candidate, has a brother heading the Shirak region’s National Security Service (NSS) department. The report alleges that he is coordinating pressure on opposition candidates and supporters.
As tensions rise ahead of the March 30 elections, opposition forces warn that law enforcement interventions could have a chilling effect on voters and undermine the democratic process in Gyumri.
