Armenian law bans such activities by not only politicians running for office or members of their parties but also their close relatives and other individuals linked to them. Three nongovernmental organizations making up the election-monitoring Independent Observer coalition took Hakobian to court last Thursday, accusing her My Step charity of violating the ban.

Hakobian was quick to deny any wrongdoing, saying that My Step’s activities are not connected with the upcoming elections in any way. She went on to hold a news conference to announce that her lawyers are considering demanding criminal charges against the Independent Observer and its well-known leader, Daniel Ioannisian. She said he is also planning to file a defamation suit against them.

My Step has, among other things, been organizing free English-language and physical training courses and handing out material aid to people. Hakobian made clear that she will not put these activities on hold despite the vote-buying claims also made by the Armenian opposition.

“There is no reason to postpone these programs because the My Step Fund’s activities do not violate any Armenian law,” she told a news conference.

A journalist pointed out that her public engagements are widely associated with Pashinian and the ruling Civil Contract party that are expected to face an uphill battle for political survival on June 7.

“You are violating my constitutional right,” replied Hakobian.

She went as far as to claim that the Independent Observer lawsuit against her violates an article of the European Convention on Human rights that prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment of individuals. Ioannisian scoffed at the claim.

“I think Ms. Hakobian does not have a good idea of what torture is and who can torture and who, even theoretically, cannot,” the Independent Observer leader said in a Facebook post. “In any case, we continue to insist that the My Step Fund is associated with Civil Contract.”

Hakobian said she may be prosecuted soon for violating the ban on pre-election benevolence when she unexpectedly announced the breakup of her de facto marriage on February 27. Critics of the Armenian government dismissed that announcement as a political ploy. Some of them said it is designed to end opposition claims that Hakobian is breaking the law.

Pashinian made a joint public appearance with Hakobian just before his party’s pre-election concert in Gyumri on April 19. He said on April 23 that he has reunited with her.

Armenian law-enforcement authorities are known to have prosecuted only opposition figures on vote-buying charges. The head of the Anti-Corruption Committee, Artur Nahapetian, said on April 24 that Hakobian is not under investigation.

Hakobian, 48, is believed to have exerted a strong influence on Pashinian during his almost eight-year rule. Some observers have even regarded her as the premier’s closest political confidante.

In a barrage of social media posts, Hakobian resorted last May to personal insults to attack opposition activists, public figures and other citizens critical of her. She said she is finally responding to slanderous claims about herself and her family. She also made clear that the insults are part of her government-funded campaign purportedly aimed at helping Armenians become more educated.

Hakobian toured towns and villages across Armenia last year as part of the “Getting Educated Is Fashionable” campaign launched in late 2024. Pashinian spoke during some of those meetings attended by many local government officials and other public sector employees.

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