Two parliamentary candidates from the "Strong Armenia" party have been arrested.
Arrest warrants have been issued for six parliamentary candidates from the Strong Armenia bloc, whom investigators believe are involved in large-scale bribery and money laundering.
As the Caucasian Knot reported, the Central Election Commission has authorized the criminal prosecution of six parliamentary candidates from the Strong Armenia bloc, suspected of money laundering and voter bribery.
The Civil Contract Party, led by current Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, won the parliamentary elections. Commenting on its victory, Pashinyan stated that the three-headed war party has been defeated (referring to the Strong Armenia bloc, the Armenia bloc, and the Prosperous Armenia party). The Armenian opposition demanded a recount of votes at 555 polling stations.
Criminal cases on charges of money laundering and voter bribery have been opened against six parliamentary candidates from Samvel Karapetyan's party. Arrest warrants have been issued for the suspects, and police have executed them, News.am reported today, citing the press service of the Investigative Committee of Armenia.
Two suspects were identified during the preliminary investigation. "Two candidates for parliament from the Strong Armenia bloc have been arrested," the department's press service said on its Facebook page*.
Vahe Yeghiazaryan has been taken into custody, and a similar measure of restraint has been chosen for Susan Badoyan, Sputnik-Armenia reports.
"Caucasian Knot" also wrote that, in preparation for the June 7 elections, the authorities have increased pressure on opposition supporters, including the Strong Armenia bloc. Thus, on June 4, the Investigative Committee reported on the criminal prosecution of 37 people involved in the case of the previously arrested Alik Aleksanyan. Aleksanyan is suspected of money laundering and bribing Armenian residents in the political interests of businessman Samvel Karapetyan.
Oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia Party, former President Robert Kocharyan's Armenia bloc, and businessman Samvel Karapetyan's Strong Armenia bloc are the most pro-Russian participants in the parliamentary elections, analysts previously noted.
The parliamentary elections have effectively become a referendum on the future of the current government and Armenia's foreign policy, according to the Caucasian Knot report "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia".