Davit Ghazinyan, a parliamentary candidate from the Strong Armenia Alliance, has been detained on charges of preparing to distribute election bribes.

The information was confirmed by Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee. Earlier, the Central Electoral Commission approved motions submitted by the Prosecutor’s Office seeking consent to initiate criminal proceedings against Ghazinyan and to place him under detention.

On 6 June, the Prosecutor’s Office submitted requests to the CEC seeking permission to launch criminal prosecution against Ghazinyan and to deprive him of his liberty.

The Anti-Corruption Committee had announced the same day that it had uncovered a new alleged case of election bribery involving members of the Strong Armenia Alliance. Following the discovery, the committee applied to the Prosecutor’s Office requesting that motions be submitted to the CEC to obtain consent for criminal proceedings against Ghazinyan and for his detention.

The Central Electoral Commission on Wednesday greenlighted the prosecution’s request to indict and arrest Davit Ghazinyan, a parliamentary candidate who ran for office on the Strong Armenia ticket, his fellow bloc member and lawyer Aram Vartevanyan has said.

Under the law, authorities must obtain the Electoral Commission’s consent before charging or arresting registered parliamentary candidates.

Ghazinyan is suspected of involvement in a vote-buying scheme.

He denies wrongdoing.

The Anti-Corruption Committee said on June 6 that it had uncovered new cases of alleged vote-buying by members of the Strong Armenia bloc. On the same day, the law enforcement agency asked the prosecution to request that the CEC strip Ghazinyan of immunity.

Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office to lift the parliamentary immunity of Robert Kocharyan, leader of the Armenia Alliance.

The decision was announced by lawyer Aram Orbelyan following the CEC meeting.

Orbelyan said Kocharyan is expected to be charged with abuse of official authority and money laundering.

Earlier, the lawyer explained that the Prosecutor General’s Office had sought the CEC’s consent within the framework of a case related to a transaction approved by the Armenian government in 2004 during Kocharyan’s presidency.

According to Orbelyan, the transaction has never been legally challenged and neither Kocharyan nor members of his family were involved in it.

He said that in 2008, after Kocharyan had left office, his son, Sedrak Kocharyan, purchased a stake in the company involved in the transaction, paying what he described as a substantial sum. Prosecutors are now allegedly attempting to link that purchase to the 2004 deal.

“The case concerns the Master Class tennis complex. The property had been leased, and the tenant had begun construction using its own funds. In 2008, facing financial difficulties, the company sought investors and made an offer to Sedrak Kocharyan, who subsequently became involved in the project,” Orbelyan said.

On June 16, it was announced that the Prosecutor General’s Office had formally requested the CEC’s consent to lift Kocharyan’s immunity.

The Armenia Alliance, led by Kocharyan, passed the electoral threshold in the June 7 parliamentary elections and is set to hold 12 seats in the new parliament. As the head of the alliance’s electoral list, Kocharyan enjoys legal protections that require CEC approval before criminal proceedings can be initiated against him or restrictions placed on his liberty.

Former President Robert Kocharyan’s lawyer Aram Orbelyan has explained the case behind a Prosecutor’s Office request to the Central Electoral Commission seeking permission to lift his immunity and file charges. 

The Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia has submitted a motion to the Central Electoral Commission seeking consent to strip Robert Kocharyan, leader of the opposition Armenia Alliance and former President of Armenia, of immunity. The Armenia Alliance won 12 seats in the parliamentary elections, and Kocharyan is the number one candidate on the alliance list.

Orbelyan told reporters on Wednesday that the case concerns a transaction carried out in 2004 during Kocharyan’s presidency, which was approved by the Government of Armenia.

Orbelyan argued that the transaction has never been disputed and that neither Robert Kocharyan nor his family members have any connection to it.

“Later, in 2008, when Mr. Robert Kocharyan was no longer in office, his son Sedrak Kocharyan purchased a share in the company, paying a fairly large sum. And now they are trying to somehow link this to the 2004 transaction. This concerns the ‘Master Class’ tennis facility,” Orbelyan said.

He noted that the area had been leased, and the tenant began development using their own funds but, in 2008, faced financial difficulties and, while seeking investment, also approached Sedrak Kocharyan, who took part in the process accordingly.

Orbelyan denied any wrongdoing in the process.

Armenian Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan has met with European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius in Paris.

Hayrapetyan said on social media that they discussed prospects for expanding Armenia–EU cooperation in the fields of the defense industry, innovation, space security, and Earth observation.

“We also discussed prospects for cooperation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defense Industry and Space (DG DEFIS), as well as the possibility of implementing joint initiatives in the high-tech and defense sectors,” Hayrapetyan said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that combating electoral bribery must continue and that “uprooting” those involved from political life is becoming a priority.

Speaking in parliament during question time, Pashinyan said it was obvious that large-scale electoral bribes had been distributed during the June 7 parliamentary elections. However, he said the people had overcome this.

“It is obvious that large-scale vote-buying took place, and it is also obvious that our state has been able to fight against it to this extent. For the first time, the people have defeated vote-buying on this scale,” Pashinyan said.

This, he said, demonstrates the institutional maturity of the state on the one hand, and on the other hand indicates that work in this direction must continue.

The prime minister stressed that “uprooting” those involved in vote-buying from Armenia’s political life is becoming a priority.

“Uprooting those distributing vote-buying from Armenia’s political life is becoming a priority on the agenda as a result of this fact. They must be uprooted by all possible means, and we will go down that path,” he said.

Pashinyan also said that his rhetoric on fighting vote-buying during the election campaign received support from Armenian citizens.

He also addressed the work of the criminal justice system in vote-buying cases, noting that according to his review of statistics, none of the individuals charged in such cases since 2021 are currently in prison.

“This is the most important question that our criminal justice system must answer,” Pashinyan said.

The Republic of Armenia has overcome and is managing all regional security threats, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.

“I officially declare that the Republic of Armenia has overcome and is managing all regional security threats. And the only threat that may arise is the activity of the three-headed war party and their affiliates,” Pashinyan said in parliament, referring to the “Strong Armenia” alliance, the “Armenia” alliance, and the Prosperous Armenia party.

Pashinyan emphasized that peace with Azerbaijan has been built on the principle of mutual recognition of territorial integrity based on the Almaty Declaration, as agreed by Yerevan and Baku.

“Now the three-headed war party is casting doubt on this peace agreement. It turns out that there is a force in the Armenian parliament that does not accept the architecture of peace. This generates threats and direct reactions, and we must see and confront these causal links,” the prime minister stressed, referring to the Strong Armenia and Armenia alliances winning seats in the next parliament.

Pashinyan noted that the more than 700,000 votes the Civil Contract party received from Armenian citizens in the June 7 parliamentary elections demonstrate their commitment to the peace agenda.

He said that members of the “Strong Armenia” and “Armenia” alliances who entered parliament are representatives of a “spy network” and that they received votes in the elections based on vote-buying. According to the prime minister, this network must be eradicated.

“Otherwise, they will do everything to revive the conflict and restart war. We are now confidently managing the situation, but our people must also be aware of this,” he said.

Pashinyan stressed that any threat to Armenia’s future must be eliminated at its root.

“These threats have names: Robert Kocharyan, a ‘Kaluga oligarch’, and a pro-Belarus oligarch,” Pashinyan said, referring to Strong Armenia leader Samvel Karapetyan and Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan.

“As long as I am prime minister, I will personally crush them at the root and in a targeted manner. I call on those citizens who do not agree with this line to carry out a revolution in Armenia and change the government, because this process can no longer be stopped,” Pashinyan said.

The 2026 parliamentary elections have brought forward a new revolutionary agenda, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Wednesday.

He told lawmakers at a plenary session that his government has faced difficulties in explaining to the public why former officials and their associated circles have not been brought to account and imprisoned.

“We had difficulty explaining to the public why Robert Kocharyan is not in prison. We had difficulty explaining to the public why what Gagik Tsarukyan looted has not been returned. We had difficulty explaining to the people how it happened that the ‘Kaluga oligarch’ continued, even after the revolution, to steal electricity from kindergartens and schools for eight years. How was this possible?” Pashinyan said, referring to Samvel Karapetyan’s ownership of the power distribution company ENA and alleged mismanagement.

According to Pashinyan, one of the reasons is that these groups had external sponsors, which previously made the authorities cautious and constrained in dealing with them.

He said that after the elections, a new political agenda has been formed.

“This election and the activity recorded in it have given rise to a new revolutionary agenda — a revolution in which velvet should be excluded,” the prime minister said, referring to the 2018 Velvet Revolution.

Pashinyan stated that, in his assessment, the former system was built to protect oligarchic interests and must be changed.

“The entire previous system was structured to protect that oligarchy. We must move toward breaking that system; there is no other option,” he said.

According to the prime minister, this was not an ordinary political process.

“This is not a simple election. Either the revolution gains new momentum, or the counter-revolution wins. This is our choice,” Pashinyan warned.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that direct contacts between Armenian and Azerbaijani representatives are aimed at restoring momentum to the peace process and reaffirming both countries’ commitment to the peace agenda.

Speaking during a government question-and-answer session in parliament, Pashinyan commented on the recent meeting in Dilijan between Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council Armen Grigoryan and Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev.

According to the prime minister, it was important for Armenia not to lose momentum in the peace process immediately after the parliamentary elections.

“It was very important for us not to lose the momentum of the peace process after the elections. It was very important for us that the peace process regain its momentum,” Pashinyan said.

He noted that a similar understanding existed on the Azerbaijani side, which led to the Grigoryan-Hajiyev meeting.

Pashinyan said the primary purpose of the talks was to restore momentum to the peace process.

“Our experience has shown that direct bilateral contacts are important,” the prime minister stressed.

The prime minister also highlighted the significance of the meeting being held in Armenia for the first time in this format. He said the next meeting is expected to take place in Azerbaijan.

“It is very important that Armenia and Azerbaijan are reaffirming their commitment to the peace agenda through this process,” Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said he would travel to Baku to attend a future summit of the European Political Community if he receives an invitation.

Speaking during a government question-and-answer session in the National Assembly, Pashinyan said he was prepared to take part in the summit planned to be held in the Azerbaijani capital in 2029.

“I have already said that if there is an invitation to the European Political Community summit in 2029, I can say right now that I will go to Baku,” Pashinyan said.