On Sunday, Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) published the final results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections, confirming the full vote distribution which left Prosperous Armenia (BHK) outside parliament after it failed to cross the electoral threshold.
The announcement set off a wave of challenges: six opposition forces jointly rejected the results as illegitimate, three of them prepared appeals to the Constitutional Court, an election-observation group called the CEC’s refusal to hold reruns “openly illegal,” and authorities blocked former President Robert Kocharyan from leaving the country, even as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan vowed to “dispossess” his rivals.
According to the final results announced by the CEC:
- Civil Contract received 726,819 votes, or 49.7456%;
- Strong Armenia received 340,006 votes, or 23.2710%;
- Armenia Alliance received 144,983 votes, or 9.9231%;
- Prosperous Armenia received 58,287 votes, or 3.9893%.
The CEC also announced the final seat distribution in the 105-member National Assembly. Civil Contract received 61 base seats plus 3 seats reserved for national minorities, for 64 in total; the Strong Armenia Alliance received 28 plus one seat for an Assyrian representative, for 29; and the Armenia Alliance received 12. Civil Contract will hold a governing majority and form the next government on its own.
At the same time as the CEC session, opposition supporters gathered outside the commission building, holding a protest demanding that the election results be annulled and that new elections be held.
The announcement of final results immediately intensified political tensions, as opposition forces argued that the issue of Prosperous Armenia’s exclusion from parliament remains unresolved and is now shifting to the Constitutional Court.
Six Opposition Forces Reject the Results
Six political forces, the Strong Armenia Alliance, the Armenia Alliance, Prosperous Armenia, Bright Armenia, the Armenian National Congress, and the National Democratic Pole, issued a joint statement rejecting the official results as not reflecting “the genuine will of the people,” citing what they called systemic violations, the use of administrative resources, political arrests, and selective invalidation of polling-station results. The statement placed “full responsibility for any future escalation of the situation in the country” on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his administration.
Opposition to Challenge Results at Constitutional Court
The Strong Armenia Alliance, the Armenia Alliance, and Prosperous Armenia announced that they will jointly apply to the Constitutional Court this Friday, seeking to invalidate the election results.
Opposition representatives argue that the annulment of results in three polling stations played a decisive role in the final distribution of mandates and ultimately affected BHK’s ability to enter parliament.
The dispute is closely linked to the CEC’s earlier decision to invalidate voting results in three polling stations, after which it concluded that the changes did not alter the overall outcome of the election.
CEC Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan stated that invalidating results in individual polling stations does not automatically require a repeat vote. When someone in the session hall asked what could affect the results if the outcomes of three polling stations had no impact, Hovakimyan urged those present to remain silent and to appeal to the Constitutional Court.
He emphasized that the commission must assess both the protection of voters’ will and the legitimacy of the overall electoral outcome before deciding on any further measures.
“The CEC must choose the measure that is necessary, proportionate under the given circumstances, and does not create greater distortion than the violation it seeks to correct,” Hovakimyan said.
The CEC explained that holding a partial rerun in selected polling stations would create unequal conditions among voters and risk distorting the overall electoral process.
According to the commission, voters in the original election cast their ballots without knowing the final national picture, including which political forces would pass the threshold or how their vote would influence seat distribution.
In contrast, voters in a possible rerun would already be aware of near-final results (based on 99.8% of counted ballots), meaning their choices could be influenced not only by political preference but also by strategic calculations aimed at altering a known outcome.
“This could mean that voters’ choices are shaped not only by their original political preferences, but also by calculations aimed at changing the already known result,” Hovakimyan said.
The CEC also referenced guidance from the Venice Commission, which has noted that partial reruns are not always a suitable remedy for electoral violations when they risk creating inequality among voters.
The CEC also invoked the Constitutional Court’s own position that the rights of voters who cast lawful ballots must be protected, and that a re-vote should not retroactively distort a will already lawfully expressed.
The commission concluded that refusing a rerun does not mean ignoring irregularities, but rather avoiding a measure that could further distort voter intent.
It also reaffirmed that the invalidation of results in three polling stations does not affect the overall outcome, meaning no repeat voting will take place.
Election Observation Mission Criticism
However, the CEC’s decision has drawn criticism from election observers. Daniel Ioannissian, representing the “Independent Observer” alliance, said that the decision not to schedule a rerun in polling stations 10/51, 12/13, and 35/65 is “obviously and openly illegal.”
The “Independent Observer” alliance argues that the CEC should have ordered repeat voting in those precincts, and that the refusal raises broader concerns about the legality and integrity of the final election results.
Opposition forces insist that Prosperous Armenia’s exclusion from parliament is not a settled issue and will be determined by the Constitutional Court.
“Whether BHK has actually been excluded from parliament or not is still not clear,” Strong Armenia representative Gohar Meloyan told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The Strong Armenia Alliance, led by billionaire businessman Samvel Karapetyan, argues that Prosperous Armenia had initially passed the threshold based on preliminary calculations and that the annulment of votes effectively removed it from contention.
“An entire political force with around 60,000 votes, which had initially passed the threshold, was artificially removed from the race,” Meloyan said.
Under Armenia’s law on the Constitutional Court, the court may either uphold the CEC’s decision or, if it finds violations affecting the outcome, take several possible actions: declare the election results invalid, establish a new distribution of parliamentary mandates, or order a second round of voting.
Meloyan said that one possible outcome could be a revised mandate distribution that would restore Prosperous Armenia’s parliamentary status.
The Armenia Alliance, led by former President Robert Kocharyan, also said it does not consider the electoral process closed.
Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a candidate from the alliance and a representative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, said that although the bloc has concerns about the independence of the Constitutional Court, it will pursue all legal avenues.
“If the Constitutional Court follows the Constitution, BHK’s entry will be guaranteed. If it continues as the Central Election Commission did and serves the regime, it will choose another path,” Saghatelyan said.
Both opposition blocs emphasized that they will only decide whether to accept parliamentary mandates after the Constitutional Court issues its ruling.
“We do not consider the process finished. The Constitutional Court is still ahead, and several forces are preparing serious submissions. After that process, we will announce our final decision on whether to take mandates and what political steps we will take,” Saghatelyan said.
Strong Armenia representative Gohar Meloyan echoed the same position, saying that no final decision has yet been made regarding parliamentary participation.
Prosperous Armenia, led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, will also challenge the election results separately. Party spokesperson Iveta Tonoyan said the legal complaint is already being prepared.
The deadline for submitting appeals to the Constitutional Court is Friday. Once the applications are accepted, the court is required to issue a ruling within 15 days.
Pashinyan Vows to “Dispossess” the Opposition
For his part, Pashinyan signaled no retreat, telling supporters that the government’s central agenda would be “literally dispossessing the three-headed party of war” so that “they no longer think about distributing electoral bribes.” The remarks followed his repeated campaign characterization of the three opposition forces as a “war party” and align with a wave of legal actions against opposition figures, including the recent tax-evasion indictment of Tsarukyan.
Kocharyan Stopped at the Airport
On Sunday, authorities blocked Armenia Alliance leader and former President Robert Kocharyan from leaving via Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport on a pre-announced three-day private trip his son, MP Levon Kocharyan, said was bound for Russia. His office called the move “without legal grounds and any explanation,” and Levon Kocharyan called it “yet another act of arrogance and unlawfulness.” Pashinyan responded in a video: “Don’t rush to pack your suitcases. You will dream of having the opportunity to flee Armenia, and you will not have that opportunity.”
The stop echoed a similar one involving Tsarukyan days earlier. Separately, Armenia Alliance MP Gegham Manukyan filed an inquiry into how surveillance footage from a controlled area of Zvartnots reached the Telegram channel of Haykakan Zhamanak, an outlet owned by Pashinyan’s family, alleging that several thousand citizens were barred from leaving in the days before the election.
The upcoming Constitutional Court decision is expected to determine whether the final election results stand as announced, or whether the distribution of parliamentary mandates, and Prosperous Armenia’s exclusion, will be reopened for legal reconsideration.
