Armenian opposition leader Arman Tatoyan on Tuesday accused Azerbaijan of attempting to interfere in Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections, saying the actions were designed to benefit Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party.
Tatoyan, who is the prime ministerial candidate of the Wings of Unity party, said in a Facebook livestream that recent remarks by Azerbaijani officials amounted to direct involvement in Armenia’s political process. He pointed to comments by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev suggesting Armenians needed “psychiatrists, psychologists and doctors,” which drew no official response from Yerevan.
“Afterwards, Azerbaijani publications and lawmakers issued threats, calling Armenians an ‘irrational society’ and insisting that before the elections they must be shown that force, the iron fist, is still in place. This is clear interference,” Tatoyan said.
He added that he would submit evidence of the interference to the European Union delegation in Armenia.
“If the EU acts against Russian interference based on government statements, which is good, then Azerbaijani interference must be prevented equally,” he said. “We must protect the Armenian people so that elections are held not in fear, but in the interests of our country and people.”
Armenia is set to hold parliamentary elections on June 7.
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