Persecution of the church and the opposition have become themes of pre-election rhetoric in Armenia.

The state must apologize to the Armenian Apostolic Church for persecution after the elections, Bright Armenia stated. Around 300 Strong Armenia supporters have already been detained, but the persecution of party supporters and other opposition forces could have the opposite effect on the government's approval ratings, a party representative noted.

As Caucasian Knot reported, the opposition's fragmentation has not diminished over the past month amid the onset of the campaign and increased pressure. The main opposition parties are fighting for votes and political leadership. Representatives of the Strong Armenia party and the Armenia bloc emphasized the importance of the country's partnership with Russia, but emphasized the need for an independent national policy.

Persecution of the Church has become a component of the election rhetoric

If the Bright Armenia party wins the elections, it promises to punish the initiators and perpetrators of the campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church, party leader Edmon Marukyan announced today as part of the campaign. A meeting with voters was held today in Vagharshapat (Echmiadzin).

Marukyan noted that Prime Minister Pashinyan and his associates have suddenly abandoned their religiosity; they have stopped attending Sunday liturgies. They realized that their campaign against the Church had failed, Marukyan believes. He reminded that the state should not interfere in the affairs of the Church; this obligation has been violated. This is not an ordinary organization; it is enshrined as an institution in the Constitution. The authorities not only violated the right to religious expression, but also the Constitution, Marukyan stated, according to News.Am.

Marukyan emphasized that after June 7, the state must ask the Armenian Apostolic Church for forgiveness.

"We will stop this campaign against the church, ask for forgiveness, and punish those who organized this inhumane, anti-state, and anti-national campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church," Marukyan stated.

Could we ever have imagined a war being waged against the church? Could we have imagined that spiritual leaders would be subject to criminal prosecution? Could we have imagined that a fight against Ararat would begin? During the election campaign in Abovyan, Armenia bloc MP Anna Grigoryan stated, YerevanToday reports.

The second president of Armenia, leader of the Armenia bloc Robert Kocharyan, emphasized during a meeting with voters in Charentsavan that "the well-being of 80% of our population is largely linked to economic relations with the Russian Federation."

"Agricultural products grown in numerous greenhouses are exported to Russia, and more than just the business owner depends on this market. The people working on these farms receive wages there, but if the distribution channels close, how will they survive?" — Kocharyan stated.

The number of detained supporters of the "Strong Armenia" bloc has exceeded 300, stated the bloc's parliamentary candidate and human rights activist Gohar Meloyan.

According to her, the detentions of supporters of "Strong Armenia" and other opposition forces could have the opposite effect on the government's ratings.

"Instead of intimidation, people are becoming even more motivated and joining our fight. "These 300 will soon turn into 3,000, 30,000, and more," she stated.

Meloyan called the detentions illegal, demanded the immediate release of those detained, and stated that there are no grounds for initiating a criminal case, Armenia Today reports.

The party's leader, businessman Samvel Karapetyan, is also facing criminal prosecution. He is under house arrest, but is nevertheless campaigning, receiving citizens at his home, Yerevan Today reports.

The Kremlin is backing Karapetyan, but he is legally ineligible to participate in the elections, Armenian political scientists previously noted. According to Armenian law, Samvel Karapetyan cannot become head of government because he holds Russian and Cypriot passports.

As a reminder, there are numerous allegations of pressure on voters who intend to vote against the ruling party, said Arman Tatoyan, former Armenian Ombudsman and leader of the Wings of Unity party. Representatives of the Civil Contract party denied that officials had gathered teachers and students for the rally in Aparan.

On May 13, instead of attending classes, teachers and students from three schools in the Aparan community of Aragatsotn Province took part in the election campaigning of the ruling Civil Contract party. Employees of the House of Culture and school cleaners were also recruited to support the authorities during their work hours. The Electoral Commission reminded that involving public sector employees and schoolchildren in election campaigning is contrary to Armenia's Electoral Code. Ruling party representatives distanced themselves from the incident in the Aragatsotn region, but observers and the teachers themselves confirmed the violation.