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BREAKING: A few minutes ago, the "Republic" Party submitted an application to Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) seeking to have the registration of the "Strong Armenia" Alliance’s electoral list declared invalid and removed from candidacy ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Earlier, "Republic" Party chairman and lead candidate Aram Sargsyan announced that he would seek to have the alliance removed from the ballot based on information publicized by Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee. Sargsyan maintains that information released by the Anti-Corruption Committee provides grounds for revoking the alliance’s registration and removing it from the ballot. The "Strong Armenia" Alliance is led by businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who entered politics after being arrested by Pashinyan’s government following his public defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He has since emerged as one of the most prominent political challengers to Pashinyan ahead of the elections. The application was filed by a party that helped Pashinyan’s "Civil Contract" Party retain control of Yerevan following the 2023 City Council elections. After the vote, the "Republic" Party joined forces with "Civil Contract" to secure a governing majority and form the city administration. Under Article 209 of Armenia’s Electoral Code, cases involving the registration, revocation, or invalidation of party electoral lists must be examined and decided by the Administrative Court within five days of receipt, but no later than the day before voting. If the CEC refers the matter to court, a decision would likely have to be issued by the end of tomorrow.

Several people were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd of supporters of the "Prosperous Armenia" Party at a campaign event in Yerevan's Shengavit district ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections. Eyewitnesses said the driver intentionally drove into the gathering. Several people sustained injuries and were transported to hospitals for medical treatment. "We are currently clarifying the details of the incident while urging law enforcement authorities to establish all circumstances surrounding what happened as quickly as possible," "Prosperous Armenia" spokeswoman, Iveta Tonoyan said. Tonoyan described the incident as a "terrifying precedent," arguing that it demonstrates how political intolerance and hostility toward opponents can escalate into violence. Armenian law enforcement authorities have not yet released an official statement regarding the incident. While video footage circulating online confirms eyewitness acounts. Authorities have not yet confirmed the driver's motive or the full circumstances surrounding what occurred. #ArmVote26

Aram Sargsyan, chairman of the “Republic” Party and the political force’s lead candidate, announced that he will appeal to Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) seeking to have the registration of the “Strong Armenia” Alliance’s electoral list revoked. Speaking on the Chibukhchyan Live program, Sargsyan said his appeal will be based on information previously made public by Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee. “The law clearly defines the cases in which political parties should not be allowed to participate in elections. These include issues such as large-scale vote buying, foreign influence, and other violations that have largely been publicized by the Anti-Corruption Committee in the media,” Sargsyan said. He argued that the Anti-Corruption Committee is a state body and that its published findings provide sufficient grounds for an official appeal. “The Anti-Corruption Committee is a state institution, and it is precisely on the basis of that state body’s information that I will submit my application,” he added. Sargsyan’s announcement comes despite his own history of political cooperation with the ruling “Civil Contract” Party. Following the 2023 Yerevan City Council elections, the “Republic” Party joined forces with “Civil Contract” to help secure a governing majority in the capital’s municipal council, enabling the formation of the city’s administration. The partnership drew criticism from opposition groups, which accused Sargsyan’s party of aligning itself with the ruling authorities. #ArmVote26

The Investigative Committee is currently conducting a search at the offices of Armat Media, disrupting the outlet's work and an ongoing filming process. Earlier, Armat Media editor Nelli Avetisyan wrote on Facebook that "what is happening at the Armat Media newsroom right now is simply unacceptable. This is a campaign against free speech." At the time of publication, the Investigative Committee had not publicly disclosed the grounds for the search or provided further details regarding the actions being carried out at the newsroom. The search took place on a day that also saw more than a dozen reported detentions and arrests involving several prominent opposition figures across Armenia. The operation is likely to draw scrutiny from press freedom advocates. Armenia's Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of the press, while the country's Law on Mass Media provides legal protections for journalistic activity. The search also took place amid a broader wave of law enforcement actions involving opposition figures. The situation remains ongoing. #ArmVote26

Former Yerevan Mayor and former Minister of Transport and Communications Gagik Beglaryan has been detained, according to Armenian media reports. Earlier, Armenia's Anti-Corruption Committee accused Beglaryan of illegally acquiring 27 real estate properties and causing 2.3 billion drams (approximately $5.7 million) in damages to the state. A prominent figure of the former Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) establishment, Beglaryan has spent years under investigation following the 2018 change of power. Despite nearly eight years of criminal cases, arrests, and public allegations, authorities have yet to secure a final conviction against him. The detention comes just days before Armenia's parliamentary elections and amid a broader campaign by Pashinyan's government against opposition figures and former officials. With long-running proceedings against Beglaryan still unresolved after years of investigations, the decision to detain him now is likely to intensify scrutiny of the timing of the case and its political implications. Authorities have not disclosed what new circumstances prompted Beglaryan's detention after years of unresolved proceedings.

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee has carried out another wave of arrests and searches involving individuals linked to the opposition ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections. According to the Committee, investigators received what it described as factual information alleging that a parliamentary candidate from the "Armenia" Alliance had offered bribes in exchange for votes in favor of the alliance during the National Assembly elections. “Factual information was obtained regarding instances of a candidate of the ‘Armenia’ Alliance offering election bribes in exchange for votes for their alliance in the National Assembly elections. Within the framework of criminal proceedings initiated by the Anti-Corruption Committee, a number of individuals have been detained, searches have been conducted, and other investigative actions have been carried out,” the Committee said in a statement. The authorities did not identify the candidate in question and provided no evidence supporting the allegations. The operation is the latest in an ongoing crackdown by Pashinyan’s government against opposition parties and political opponents ahead of the parliamentary elections. In recent days, authorities have carried out arrests, searches, and criminal proceedings involving opposition candidates and figures critical of the government, as law enforcement bodies intensify actions against Pashinyan’s rivals during the election campaign. #ArmVote26

BREAKING: Former deputy chief of the General Staff Tiran Khachatryan charged amid escalating pressure on government opponents. Khachatryan is accused of allegedly committing hooliganism during an incident in September 2023 by striking a vehicle that was reportedly driving at high speed toward citizens blocking a street. The defense argues that the case raises serious questions about timing. Although the criminal proceeding was launched in 2023, investigators allegedly took no meaningful action for nearly three years. According to Khachatryan's lawyer, authorities only recently moved to file charges, complete the investigation, and send the case to court with an indictment. A veteran commander of the First Artsakh War, Khachatryan became one of the most prominent military critics of Nikol Pashinyan following the 2020 war. In February 2021, after publicly ridiculing Pashinyan's remarks about Iskander missile systems, he was dismissed from his post amid the unprecedented confrontation between Armenia's military leadership and Pashinyan's government. The charges come as critics accuse Pashinyan's government of intensifying pressure on opposition figures, military leaders, clergy, and other government critics ahead of elections. Khachatryan's defense has characterized the proceedings as politically motivated. #ArmVote26

Armenia's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has approved a request from the Prosecutor General's Office to initiate criminal proceedings and seek the detention of three parliamentary candidates from the "Prosperous Armenia" Party participating in the June 7, 2026 National Assembly elections. According to Zhoghovurd daily, the Prosecutor General's Office requested permission to prosecute and deprive of liberty Garush Marzetsyan, Edgar Bojukyan, and Naira Harutyunyan, who are included on the party's electoral list. The CEC approved the motion. The report does not specify the alleged offenses or the evidence presented by prosecutors. The decision comes amid an ongoing campaign by Pashinyan's government against political opponents, government critics, opposition figures, clergy, and other public voices who have challenged his policies. The move targets three candidates from an opposition party less than a week before parliamentary elections, further intensifying concerns about the state of political pluralism and democratic competition in Armenia. #ArmVote26

Just days before Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections, law enforcement authorities have moved again in a long-running case targeting figures tied to the former governing establishment and critics of Pashinyan’s government. The Investigative Committee has issued detention orders for seven people, including Armen Ashotyan, deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia and former Minister of Education and Science. According to the Investigative Committee, detention orders were also issued for former State Revenue Committee head and former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatryan, his son Artyom Khachatryan, former Brusov State University rector Gayane Gasparyan, vice rector Artur Ayvazyan, former Minister of Defense Vigen Sargsyan, and Harutyun Tadevosyan. The case involves allegations of abuse of official powers and money laundering. The list of individuals targeted is not politically neutral. It includes former senior officials, Republican Party figures, and people associated with circles that have openly opposed Pashinyan’s government. Ashotyan has already spent years under restrictive measures in the same case. He was detained in June 2023, later transferred to house arrest, and in August 2025 his house arrest was replaced with administrative supervision. He has consistently denied the accusations and described the proceedings as politically motivated. This is not a new case. Rather, it is the same long-running and politically charged file being brought back to the forefront at the final stretch before elections. With voters set to go to the polls in a matter of days, the renewed move raises serious questions about the timing of criminal proceedings against opposition-linked figures and former officials.

Arman Sahakyan, a member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), former head of the State Property Management Department, and the son of former National Assembly Speaker Galust Sahakyan, has been arrested on suspicion of offering or receiving a bribe. Authorities have not yet released further details regarding the allegations or the circumstances of the arrest. Sahakyan served as head of the State Property Management Department from 2011 to 2018. The investigation is ongoing.

During a debate on Armenia’s Public Television, Nikol Pashinyan stated that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the United States, France, and Russia, created the Minsk Group for their own geopolitical interests and never intended to facilitate a resolution of the Artsakh conflict. When asked whether he was referring specifically to both France and the United States, Pashinyan reiterated his claim. According to Pashinyan, the co-chair countries established and maintained the Minsk Group not to resolve the conflict, but to pursue their own strategic objectives in the region. Similar accusations have previously been made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who repeatedly argued that the Minsk Group had failed to seek a genuine settlement and instead served the interests of its co-chair states. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, France, and Russia since 1997, served as the primary international mediation format for negotiations on the Artsakh conflict until Azerbaijan’s occupation of Artsakh in 2023. #ArmVote26

Approximately a year ago, we wrote about the elections in Moldova and the lessons they held for the Armenian opposition. You can read the article at our website. 301.am/2025/09/30/mol…

Leaders of the so-called pro-Western forces participating in the elections, Aram Sargsyan and Gurgen Simonyan, are proposing that Samvel Karapetyan’s “Strong Armenia” Alliance and Robert Kocharyan’s “Armenia” Alliance be barred from participating in the elections under a “Moldovan scenario.” The term refers to actions taken by Moldovan authorities in recent years to exclude certain political parties and candidates from elections on grounds such as alleged foreign influence, threats to national security, illegal financing, or links to sanctioned individuals. The most notable example was the banning of the Șor Party in 2023, followed by restrictions affecting successor political groups and candidates associated with them. During a televised debate, Aram Sargsyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the “Republic” Party, said he had appealed to Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC), but was told that the Armenian CEC does not possess the same powers as its Moldovan counterpart. Nikol Pashinyan responded positively to Sargsyan’s remarks and asked whether he had submitted the request to the CEC in writing. Sargsyan replied that he would formally submit a written appeal on the matter the following day. According to Sargsyan’s proposal, Armenia should explore legal mechanisms similar to those used in Moldova to prevent the participation of Samvel Karapetyan’s “Strong Armenia” Alliance and Robert Kocharyan’s “Armenia” Alliance in future elections. #ArmVote26

A global fundraising campaign has officially launched to support the establishment of the Richard G. Hovannisian Library in Yerevan, a new institution dedicated to preserving and advancing Armenian scholarship. The library will house the personal collection of the late historian Richard G. Hovannisian, one of the most influential figures in modern Armenian studies. The collection includes more than 10,000 books and volumes amassed over a lifetime of research, teaching, and writing. Born to Armenian Genocide survivors in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Hovannisian became a pioneering scholar of Armenian history. He founded the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA and authored the landmark four-volume The Republic of Armenia. He also played a leading role in documenting the Armenian Genocide through numerous publications and an extensive oral history project preserved at the USC Shoah Foundation. Work on the library is already underway in Yerevan, where specialists are cataloging the collection. The facility will serve as a center for Armenian and regional studies, hosting research, lectures, discussions, and educational programs. According to organizers, much of the initial project cost has already been covered by the Hovannisian family and partner institutions. The fundraising campaign will support the library’s completion, archival work, and future programming. Tax-deductible contributions can be made through Creative Armenia’s official donation portal.

BREAKING: Men arriving from Russia are reportedly being handed notices at the border, forcing them to report for 25-day military training sessions. The timing could not be more suspicious: elections are just around the corner. Making matters worse, Armenia's Ministry of Defense has not denied that military police are actively registering draft-eligible citizens at Zvartnots Airport. The ministry confirmed that military police are operating at border checkpoints with the explicit goal of assisting military commissariats in drafting citizens for mandatory service and reserve training. This is not new. During previous waves of opposition, politically active citizens were called up for the same 25-day trainings. Many accused the regime of weaponizing the draft to silence dissent at the most critical moments. Now, as diaspora Armenians prepare to return home to cast their votes, the government's message appears unmistakable: come back, and face the consequences. Rather than building confidence in a free and fair electoral process, these reports are deepening fears that opposition-linked voters are being deliberately targeted, intimidated, and pressured into staying away. Pashinyan's authoritarian playbook is on full display, and the continued silence from NGOs and human rights advocacy groups is deafening. #ArmVote26

A Sputnik Armenia correspondent at Zvartnots International Airport reports that a Military Police vehicle stationed at the airport left the area a short time ago and was soon replaced by another vehicle. The change is believed to be a routine shift rotation. Earlier, “Bright Armenia” Party leader Edmon Marukyan gave Military Police officers one hour to leave the airport premises. #ArmVote26

BREAKING: Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan has been released from pre-trial detention and placed under house arrest. Galstanyan was arrested in June 2025 as part of a criminal case launched by Pashinyan’s government following the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement, which he led in opposition to border concessions and government policies. He has spent nearly a year in detention awaiting trial. A court has now ordered that his pre-trial detention be replaced with house arrest pending further proceedings.

The Armenian Center for Political Rights (ACPR) has issued an urgent statement accusing Armenia’s authorities of using compulsory military training camps as a tool of political pressure against citizens suspected of supporting the opposition “Strong Armenia” Alliance. The statement follows comments by Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan and Deputy Chief of Staff Taron Chakhoyan, who alleged that Armenian citizens were traveling from Russia to Armenia after receiving electoral bribes in order to vote for the opposition. On June 4, Radio Aurora published footage showing military police officers checking passports at border crossings. According to the outlet, Armenian men under the age of 55 arriving from Russia are being served notices requiring them to participate in 25-day military training camps. The ACPR said it could not independently verify allegations of vote-buying but stressed that any such claims should be investigated through established legal procedures by law enforcement and judicial authorities. The organization argued that compulsory military training cannot be used as a substitute for criminal prosecution and described such practices as punishment not предусмотренное законом. According to the statement, Armenia’s legislation governing military training camps lacks safeguards to ensure equal treatment of reservists. The law does not require rotational selection or a lottery system, allowing some individuals to be repeatedly called up while others are never summoned. The rights group also emphasized that participation in training camps may include combat duty assignments, making the service equivalent in practice to military service and exposing reservists to significant restrictions and risks. The ACPR warned that using military obligations to punish political opponents or limit the electoral participation of supporters of rival political forces is incompatible with the principles of the rule of law and democratic governance. The full statement has been distributed to international monitoring missions, diplomatic representations, human rights organizations, and international institutions of which Armenia is a member. The full report is available at: acpr.center/publications/s… #ArmVote26

Pashinyan’s government has approved compensation for exporters of greenhouse-grown fruits, vegetables and flowers after Russia imposed a widening series of restrictions on Armenian goods. Under the decision, economic operators exporting products from Armenia in June 2026 will receive 770 drams per kilogram of strawberries, 275 drams per kilogram of tomatoes, 400 drams per kilogram of peppers, and 37 drams per flower. The compensation comes after Russia had already targeted several Armenian export categories. In May, Russia restricted Armenian flower imports and banned the import and sale of Jermuk mineral water. It then moved against Armenian tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, greens and strawberries, with restrictions taking effect from May 30. In the following days, the pressure widened to other fruit, fish products, alcoholic beverages and additional goods. Russia has presented the restrictions as sanitary and phytosanitary measures. But the timing is political. The restrictions were imposed in the final stretch before Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections and hit sectors that remain heavily dependent on the Russian market. That is where Pashinyan’s government is exposed. The immediate pressure is coming from Moscow, but Armenia’s vulnerability is domestic. For years, the government spoke about export diversification, yet when Russia closed access to its market, Armenian producers still had no reliable alternative channels at scale. The compensation package may reduce immediate losses for farmers, greenhouse operators and flower producers. But it also shows that the government is reacting after the damage was already done. The issue is not only Russia’s use of trade as political pressure. It is also the fact that Pashinyan’s government is announcing support only after the restrictions widened and days before voters go to the polls. That makes the measure look less like a prepared economic response and more like election-week damage control.

A number of members of precinct election commissions in Yerevan’s administrative districts are participating in the ruling “Civil Contract” Party’s election campaign in violation of the law. According to information obtained by NEWS.am, several members of precinct election commissions across Yerevan have been involved in campaign activities for the ruling party, despite a legal prohibition that bars election commission members from taking part in election campaigning. #ArmVote26