Prosperous Armenia Protests Election Results, Demands Repeat Voting as Parliamentary Seat Hangs in Balance

Photo Credit: SputnikArmenia

Armenia’s post-election tensions escalated on June 12 as members of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) gathered outside the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) in Yerevan, accusing election authorities of taking politically motivated steps to prevent the opposition party from entering parliament.

The Armenian Report was on the ground outside the CEC headquarters as party representatives demanded a meeting with CEC Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan and called for repeat voting in polling stations whose election results were recently invalidated.

The dispute centers on three polling stations whose results have now been annulled following Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections.

On June 11, the CEC invalidated the results of Polling Stations 10/51 in Yerevan’s Nubarashen district and 35/65 in the southern Syunik Province, citing violations recorded on election day. A day later, Territorial Electoral Commission No. 12 invalidated the results from Polling Station 12/13 after officials determined that Ballot No. 8 had been missing from the station throughout voting.

The decisions have become politically significant because Prosperous Armenia is hovering just below the 4% threshold required for parliamentary representation. According to preliminary results, the party received approximately 3.997% of the national vote, leaving its parliamentary future dependent on a small number of votes.

The two polling stations invalidated by the CEC alone accounted for 213 votes cast for Prosperous Armenia. Party officials argue that removing those votes could effectively deny representation to thousands of voters while helping Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party secure a stronger parliamentary position.

Speaking to reporters outside the CEC, Prosperous Armenia parliamentary candidate and Democratic Alternative Party leader Suren Surenyants acknowledged that violations had occurred at the disputed polling stations. However, he argued that election authorities should have simultaneously scheduled repeat voting rather than simply invalidating the results.

“If the results were annulled, a repeat vote should have been announced immediately,” Surenyants said. “The fact that this was not done raises legitimate concerns about the intentions behind the decision.”

Surenyants also questioned why election authorities invalidated some polling stations while leaving others untouched despite reported irregularities. He specifically pointed to Polling Station 12/13, where a ballot paper was missing, asking why similar standards had not been applied across all disputed precincts.

According to Armenia’s electoral legislation, repeat voting may be held in polling stations where results are invalidated. Election systems expert Mariam Hoveyan noted that if the CEC decides to order repeat voting, it would take place seven days after the decision is adopted. The commission is expected to discuss the issue during its upcoming session.

The controversy is particularly sensitive because of the broader implications for Armenia’s next parliament.

Preliminary results show Civil Contract receiving 49.81% of the vote, followed by the opposition Strong Armenia alliance with 23.29% and the Armenia Alliance with 9.94%. While Civil Contract is positioned to form a government, the final composition of parliament could still be affected by whether Prosperous Armenia ultimately secures representation.

Opposition figures argue that keeping BHK out of parliament would help the ruling party maintain a larger majority and potentially secure three-fifths of parliamentary seats, a threshold that would provide greater influence over constitutional legislation and key state appointments.

The invalidated Syunik polling station has attracted particular scrutiny because voting there continued after the official 8:00 p.m. closing time as military personnel cast ballots. Opposition parties and election observers cited the incident as an electoral violation.

CEC Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan initially defended the process, stating that the soldiers had entered the polling station before closing time and therefore retained the right to vote. Despite that assessment, the commission later voted to invalidate the station’s results.

Prosperous Armenia officials have accused authorities of selectively targeting precincts where the party performed well. BHK spokesperson Iveta Tonoyan described the CEC’s decision as a “direct blow” against the party and vowed to challenge it through legal channels.

Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan has announced that BHK will pursue court appeals while simultaneously launching political consultations with other opposition forces to coordinate a broader response.

Government officials have rejected the accusations.

Civil Contract Vice Chairman Vahagn Aleksanyan argued that opposition criticism of the military voting process contributed to the annulment of results in polling stations where the ruling party itself received more than 1,200 votes. He accused opposition parties of creating the conditions that ultimately led to the invalidation.

As legal appeals begin and opposition protests continue, attention is now focused on the CEC’s next decision. Whether election authorities order repeat voting could determine not only Prosperous Armenia’s parliamentary future but also the final balance of power in Armenia’s newly elected legislature.

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