Aram Sargsyan to seek ban on Karapetyan alliance ahead of vote

By Siranush Adamyan

Republic Party leader Aram Sargsyan said on Friday that he will formally ask Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) to bar businessman Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia Alliance from participating in the June 7 parliamentary elections.

Speaking on a live TV show, Sargsyan said he would submit a written appeal to the election authorities and questioned whether state institutions would act on it.

“I will appeal to the Central Election Commission. Let us see what they do, whether the judicial system gives it a course or whether the prime minister once again shifts responsibility onto the courts,” Sargsyan said.

Also read: Sargsyan backs away from call to ban Kocharyan and Karapetyan blocs, says issue goes beyond CEC

The move follows a televised debate on Armenia’s Public Television on June 4, during which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suggested that Sargsyan formally apply to the CEC if he believed certain political forces should not be allowed to take part in the election.

During that debate, Sargsyan initially agreed with the proposal but later appeared to back away from the idea, arguing that the issue extended beyond the election commission’s authority.

“Armenia’s independence and peace are under threat, and this is not my problem to solve by appealing to the CEC, Mr. Prime Minister,” Sargsyan said during the debate.

Earlier, Sargsyan had said he would seek to block both Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia Alliance and former President Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance from participating in the vote. In an updated position later on Thursday, he suggested that broader state action was required rather than a complaint to election authorities alone.

Eighteen parties and alliances are contesting Armenia’s parliamentary election on June 7. Sargsyan remains the only political leader in the race to publicly declare his readiness to form a post-election coalition with Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party. He has also repeatedly said that Kocharyan is his main political opponent.