Rubinyan addresses alleged foreign interference in Armenia’s parliamentary elections at PACE

Armenian National Assembly Vice Speaker Ruben Rubinyan told the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections were marked by vote-buying schemes allegedly carried out by representatives of three opposition forces, foreign interference, and a foreign disinformation campaign targeting the ruling party.

The remarks were made during a speech at PACE, according to a video published on Rubinyan’s Facebook page.

Referring to the parliamentary elections held in Armenia on June 7, Rubinyan said they were notable for three particular reasons.

“The first reason was, oddly enough, a massive and systematic vote-buying scheme carried out by the three main opposition parties. Almost every day, the relevant Armenian authorities were publishing recordings of members or representatives of these parties discussing how they were giving money to people in exchange for their votes.

The second feature was a massive disinformation campaign launched against Armenia’s ruling party. Again, almost every day, certain fake stories were published in foreign countries and were then imported into and disseminated in Armenia by these opposition parties.

The third and main feature was foreign interference in Armenia’s politics and elections. There were even economic measures taken from abroad, and all of this was aimed at influencing the outcome of Armenia’s elections.

Fortunately, despite all these vote-buying schemes, foreign interference and disinformation campaigns, the people of Armenia made a clear choice, and that choice was peace and democracy. Armenia chose democracy, which means that Armenia will continue its path toward institutionalizing the peace we have achieved through the process of normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as through the continuation of democratic reforms, and, we hope, with the support of this organization,” Rubinyan said.

The vice speaker also stated that there is a public demand for justice in Armenia to hold accountable all those who coordinated and carried out the alleged vote-buying schemes.