Armenian law enforcement officials detained six candidates from a pro-Russian opposition political party on Saturday, just hours before the nation’s general election was set to begin, according to state media reports.
The candidates belonged to the Strong Armenia party, which is headed by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. Karapetyan is currently under house arrest facing allegations of attempting to incite government overthrow, charges he maintains are driven by political motivations.
The country’s ties with longtime ally Russia have become a major campaign issue in this election cycle. In recent weeks, Moscow has imposed trade restrictions on Armenian goods as a response to the nation’s increasingly closer relationship with Western countries.
Approximately 2.4 million Armenian citizens are registered to vote in Sunday’s election, which will also serve as a referendum on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s peace-building initiatives with Azerbaijan, Armenia’s historic adversary.
Recent polling data indicates Strong Armenia commands between 6% and 11% of voter support, placing it as the second-largest party behind Pashinyan’s governing Civil Contract party, which leads significantly with 24% to 32% support.
Civil rights organizations in Armenia have expressed concerns about what they describe as Russian government-backed misinformation campaigns targeting the election. Moscow consistently denies involvement in foreign electoral processes.
The state news service Armenpress reported that the Central Election Commission granted permission for investigators to pursue criminal charges against the six candidates, though specific details were not provided.
Armenia’s state Investigative Committee, responsible for the arrests, had not responded to inquiries about the reasoning behind the detentions as of Saturday.
Strong Armenia, which advocates for preserving the nation’s economic and political connections with Russia and has criticized Pashinyan for potentially provoking conflict with Moscow, had not issued an immediate statement regarding the arrests.
Earlier this week, Armenia’s Interior Ministry announced it had documented at least 78 instances of pre-election violations and arrested 44 individuals, according to local media reports. The reports did not identify which political organizations the detained individuals were associated with.
Opposition to Strong Armenia has intensified as Sunday’s vote approaches. During a special session on Friday evening, the Central Election Commission turned down a legal challenge from another opposition faction seeking to prevent Strong Armenia from participating in the election due to allegations of voter bribery and illegal campaign financing.
Strong Armenia largely rejected the lawsuit’s claims, with the party’s spokeswoman telling Armenian media outlets that the organization was “ready for all scenarios” heading into Sunday’s election.
