Pashinyan dismisses opposition claims over election results, says legitimacy comes from the people

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed opposition claims that the results of the June 7 parliamentary elections are illegitimate, insisting that electoral legitimacy is determined by the people and is reflected in the official results.

“Let’s not forget that there is one source of legitimacy, and that is the people. It is the people who assess whether their choice has taken place or not. If anyone has even sufficient observational skills, they will easily notice with the naked eye that the people have confirmed their choice, and this is reflected in the official election results,” the Prime Minister said at a press briefing.

When asked about his position on the fact that seven political forces have challenged the election results in the Constitutional Court, Pashinyan said he would not comment on the matter, as he does not consider it appropriate.

“Our positions will be presented by our team members in the Constitutional Court, because I have received a letter from the Constitutional Court stating that Civil Contract has been involved in the Constitutional Court proceedings as a third party,” the Prime Minister said.

Motions to the Constitutional Court seeking to annul the results, citing alleged fraud, were filed by the Strong Armenia bloc, Wings of Unity party, Democracy, Law and Order party, Prosperous Armenia party, the Rally for the Republic party, the Armenia Alliance, and the New Power Reformist Party.

Only three political forces entered parliament following the June 7 vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission’s final results.

According to the commission, the Civil Contract party won 49.7% of the vote, securing a majority in the next parliament, while the Strong Armenia bloc came in second with 23.2%. The Armenia Alliance won 9.9%.

The ruling Civil Contract party, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, will hold 64 seats, while businessman Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia bloc will have 29 seats. The Armenia Alliance, led by former President Robert Kocharyan, will hold 12 seats.