Armenian Election Monitors Accuse CEC of Breaking Law by Refusing Re-Vote at Voided Polling Stations

A leading coalition of Armenian election watchdogs has accused the country’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of violating electoral law by refusing to organize repeat voting at three polling stations where results from the June 7 parliamentary elections were annulled due to documented violations.

The dispute emerged after the Prosperous Armenia Party narrowly missed the 4% threshold required for parliamentary representation. Following unsuccessful recount efforts, the party and several opposition groups argued that voters in the affected precincts should be given another opportunity to cast their ballots.

The CEC rejected the proposal, stating that a re-vote could create unequal conditions for voters and potentially encourage tactical voting. According to the commission, holding a repeat election in only a handful of constituencies could place those voters in a substantially different position from the rest of the electorate.

The Independent Observer coalition, one of Armenia’s most prominent election monitoring networks, strongly disagreed with that interpretation. Coordinator Daniel Ioannisyan argued that while the legal framework surrounding repeat voting may warrant future review, the Electoral Code currently contains clear provisions requiring a rerun when election results are invalidated.

In a statement, the coalition described the commission’s refusal to schedule repeat voting as a direct violation of the law and called on authorities to adhere to existing electoral regulations.

At the same time, the monitoring group noted that ballot recounts conducted across hundreds of polling stations in the days following the election were generally carried out in a transparent and accurate manner. However, the observers raised concerns about what they described as widespread vote-buying, warning that the practice undermined the overall quality and integrity of the electoral process.

The findings add to ongoing scrutiny of Armenia’s post-election environment. Throughout the campaign and after polling day, Armenian authorities repeatedly accused opposition-linked actors of engaging in vote-buying schemes, citing hundreds of reported incidents and releasing recordings that officials said supported those allegations.

The controversy over the annulled polling stations has become the latest flashpoint in a closely watched election that will shape Armenia’s next parliament, with opposition groups continuing to challenge aspects of the electoral process even as official results have been finalized.

The Independent Observer coalition receives support from several international partners, including the European Union, the Swedish government, the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, and the Democracy Development Foundation.

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