RFE/RL – Armenian Opposition Reports Continuing Arrests On Election Day

June 07, 2026
Armenia – Billionaire and opposition leader Samvel Karapetian votes in parliamentary elections, Yerevan, June 7, 2026.

Armenia’s three main opposition groups said law-enforcement authorities continued to arrest scores of their members and supporters as voting began in parliamentary elections on Sunday.

They again accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of thus trying to influence the election results and retain power.

Vahagn Hovakimian, the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC), reported, meanwhile, that two chairpersons of precinct election commissions were arrested overnight and remained in detention after the start of voting. Hovakimian did not identify them or give reasons for their arrests. The two election officials are apparently affiliated with the opposition.

Former President Robert Kocharian’s Hayastan alliance said about a dozen of its activists in the country’s second largest city of Gyumri were rounded up after searches conducted in their homes early in the morning. Hovik Petrosian, a local Hayastan leader, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service at noon that he still does not know what they are suspected or accused of.

Armenia – Former President Robert Khocharian votes in parliamentary elections, June 7, 2026.

According to Petrosian, the detainees include the manager one of Hayastan’s campaign offices in Gyumri. Law-enforcement officers already raided several of those offices on Thursday before accusing their activists of trying to hand out vote bribes. They did not immediately comment on the latest raids.

Hayastan’s national leadership condemned the authorities’ “illegal actions” and urged supporters not to be intimidated by them.

“This shameful and illegal behavior is not only an attempt to subject the public to informational terror but also a gross violation of electoral rights,” it said in a statement.

Sanvel Karapetian and Gagik Tsarukian, wealthy businessmen leading the two other opposition contenders, also reported fresh arrests of their loyalists after casting ballots at polling stations. In Gyumri, an RFE/RL correspondent witnessed the arrest of three men at a local campaign office of Karapetian’s Strong Armenia bloc.

“We received a report that election bribes are being distributed,” said a law-enforcement officer at the scene.

“Arrests among all our supporters are continuing right now, and more than a hundred people were arrested yesterday,” Karapetian told reporters in Yerevan. “But we are not afraid of that.”

Armenia – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian prepares to vote in parliamentary elections, Yerevan, June 7, 2026.

The Russian-Armenian billionaire himself is held under house arrest on various criminal charges brought against him last summer. His bloc has been the main target of pre-election mass arrests made by two law-enforcement agencies.

One of those agencies, the Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC), said on Saturday that it detained 194 people in recent weeks. It said that 84 of them are currently in jail or under house arrest on vote-buying charges denied by the opposition.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian demanded that the ACC and other law-enforcement bodies continue the crackdown during his Civil Contract party’s concluding campaign rally in Yerevan on Friday.

“From this moment on, I demand that the law enforcement system operate more effectively and that election bribes hidden in all the nooks and crannies appear in prisons,” he said, sparking more opposition allegations of abuse of power.

#ԱՀԱԶԱՆԳ. Վաղուց ինքնաբացարկ հայտարարած «Ալյանսը»՝ ընտրական գործընթացի մասնակ

June: 72026

Observation missions, journalists and citizens are recording many violations in the parliamentary elections that started early in the morning.

The next alarm 168.amreceived from the 6/02 polling station of Ajapnyak.

It turns out that the citizen participating in the election in this polling station discovered that among the ballots given to him, the ballot paper No. 3 of the “Strong Armenia” party led by Samvel Karapetyan is missing, instead there are two ballot papers with the number 13. The citizen informed the chairman of the commission about it, the latter “corrected” the mistake.

However, the problem is that ballot number 13 belongs to the progressive centrist party “Alliance”, which weeks ago submitted an appeal and was removed from the list of political forces participating in the elections. However, in fact, there are polling stations where the ballot paper was distributed anyway.

Read also

  • Carousel, arrests, election violations. Saghatelyan presents the recorded violations
  • “These are the first snowflakes of a wrong policy, it was not settled. As a former official, I am raising the alarm. the consequences will be very severe.” Ashot Harutyunyan
  • The risks are increasing. What will the pensioner get from the increase in pensions?

We were informed about this by another citizen who witnessed the episode and fulfilled his civic duty at the polling station.

Citizens should be more vigilant and demand to record these and other similar violations in the presence of proxies, observers and commission members.

CEC about the “campaign” badge worn by Pashinyan

June: 72026

CEC reminded yesterday that pre-election campaigning is prohibited until 20:00 on the voting day.

“The RA Central Electoral Commission reminds the citizens involved in the electoral process: commission members, technical equipment specialists, proxies, mass media, observers, that pre-election campaigning is prohibited before 20:00 on the voting day. We urge you to be careful about clothing, so that it is not associated with the political forces participating in the elections. We also urge the voters to wear clothes that do not have a number comparable to the political forces registered in the elections“, the message said.

Today it became clear that the representatives and supporters of the ruling power are actively violating the requirement of the CEC, appearing at the polling stations wearing t-shirts, badges and other attributes associated with the CP.

168amfrom the CEC privately inquired about the clothes of Nikol Pashinyan, the candidate for Prime Minister on the KP list who came to the polling station. Today, Nikol Pashinyan voted with his party’s electoral symbol, a yellow map badge.

Read also

  • One of the prisoners said, “We want to come to vote, but they don’t bring us.” are alerted by the Criminal Investigation Department
  • Whatever they do, the opposite will happen. we will have a Parliament with many parties. Edmon Marukyan
  • If the opposition forces win, no one can take that victory away from them. Serzh Sargsyan

Are you going to address Nikol Pashinyan’s clothes, which were directly associated with his political power, we asked CEC press spokesperson Seda Ghukasyan.

In response, he specifically noted: “The persons who have a certain status during the elections – proxy, mass media, observer, visitor – are obliged not to carry out propaganda in the precinct and not to wear a number or sign that does not cause any association. We addressed everyone with this appeal. including candidates and voters.

 

But we cannot interfere in the case of voters. we can intervene in the case of persons in our domain: mass media, observers, proxies. However, in the case of the voters, it is also desirable that no propaganda be carried out.”

One of the prisoners said, “We want to come to vote, but they don’t bring us.” alert

June: 72026

Elections in “Nubarashen” penitentiary institution have stopped. 168amin a conversation with our source informed that half of the detainees do not come to the election.

“One of the prisoners said: we want to choose, but they don’t bring it.” I don’t know how true it is. At the moment, there is an election process, but there are no voters,” explained our interlocutor.

Parliamentary elections started in Armenia on June 7. 19 political forces – 2 blocs and 17 parties – registered to participate in the elections.

Go to the polling station, there is only one hour left, it will be too late tomorrow

June: 72026

Vahe Davtyan writes: “About an hour later, perhaps the most symbolic and auspicious elections of newly independent Armenia will end, not only in a political, but also in a geopolitical sense.

The dynamics of participation is good. Citizens’ activity is high, and it is already an important political impulse. But right now, in the last hour, every additional vote can be decisive.

In political processes, decisions taken at the last moment are often decisive, not grand strategies. In most cases, history is written at the last moment, with the last percentages, with the last votes.

If you haven’t participated yet, take advantage of this last opportunity. Go to the polling station. Vote.

Only one hour left. Tomorrow will be too late to analyze, complain or look for excuses.

At this point, there is only one question: to use the power of your own political right or to let others make the decision for you.”

In many precincts, the opposition is leading

June: 82026

Masis community, Sis settlement

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 329
2․ՔՊ – 227
3. Armenia Alliance – 84
4. PAP – 22:00

Alaverdi community, Mghart

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 156
2․ՔՊ – 126

Kotayk marz, Geghard
1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 80:
2. PAP – 51:
3․ՔՊ – 48
4. Armenia Alliance – 12:00 p.m

Tavush marz, Ptghavan community
1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 229
2. CP – 204
3. Armenia Alliance – 28:

Masis community, Arevayur settlement

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 333
2. CP – 281
3. Armenia Alliance – 33:

Tavush region, military settlement

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 327
2. CP – 70
3. Armenia Alliance – 50

Syunik region, polling station 34/75

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 16:00
2. CP – 9:00
3. Armenia Alliance – 3:
4. PAP – 4:00

Masis community, Nizam settlement

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 387
2. CP – 195
3. Armenia Alliance – 41:
4. PAP – 17:00

Nubarashen Penitentiary

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 123
2. CP – 22:00
3. Armenia Alliance – 41:
4. PAP – 21:00

Yerevan 10/56 polling station

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 123
2. CP – 22:00
3. Armenia Alliance – 41:
4. PAP – 21:00

Alaverdi, Akner settlement
1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 140
2. CP – 101
3. Armenia Alliance – 6:

Masis community, Darbnik settlement

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 235
2. CP – 203
3. Armenia Alliance – 208
4. PAP – 9:00

Meghri: Karchevan village

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 93
2. CP – 71

Masis community, Sipanik settlement

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 128
2. CP – 127
3. Armenia Alliance – 14:00

Hatsavan village of Sisian

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 72
2. CP – 57
3. Armenia Alliance – 45:

Vardashen Prison
1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 30:
2. CP – 17:00
3. Armenia Alliance – 18:00

Goris 24/7 polling station
1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 412
2. CP – 406
3. Armenia Alliance – 106
4. PAP – 28:00

Masis community, Khachpar settlement

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 355
2․ՔՊ- 321
3. Armenia Alliance -205
4. PAP-18

Polling station 4/44, Arabkir community, Yerevan

1. Strong Armenia alliance – 339
2. CP – 332
3. Armenia Alliance – 179

Yerevan, Kentron community 9/40 polling station

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 305
2. CP – 270
3. Armenia Alliance – 200

Lori marz, Stepanavan 25/9 polling station

1. Strong Armenia Alliance – 436
2. CP – 420

Only 15% of the ballots have been counted, but Pashinyan announces alone

June: 82026

Nikol Pashinyan announced the victory of his force, although there are not even preliminary results of the election.

It should be noted that at the time of Nikol Pashinyan’s announcement, only the results of 455 out of 2008 polling stations were known, and they were preliminary.

“The Civil Contract Party will form the government alone,” said Pashinyan.

To the question: how do you announce the victory when the CEC has not yet published the results? Pashinyan answered that his team has its own calculations.

“We have proxies in all polling stations and we have the protocols, and we do our own calculations,” he continued.

Observing that the opposition “Strong Armenia” and “Hayastania” alliances, PAP party, Nikol Pashinyan announced that his attitude has not changed and the leaders of these forces should be held accountable.