I Have Honor Alliance says it may join Armenia Alliance in disputing election results

By Emilio Luciano Cricchio

Artur Vanetsyan, the leader of the I Have Honor Alliance which won seven seats in Armenia’s next parliament, has stated that he is in discussion with other parties on potentially disputing the June 20 snap parliamentary election results in the country’s Constitutional Court. Vanetsyan stated this in a press conference on June 23.

The I Have Honor electoral bloc garnered 5.23% of votes in the 2021 legislative elections, and is led by former National Security Service head Artur Vanetsyan. Two other major figures in the bloc are former President Serzh Sargsyan and former Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan.

Also Read: ** Armenia Voted - Now What?**

Despite not passing the 7% necessary threshold to enter parliament, the bloc still enters parliament because Armenia’s electoral code stipulates that a third force must enter parliament regardless of its performance in the election. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party came in first and second President Robert Kocharyan's Armenia Alliance came in second.

“I haven’t said that we accept the election results, all the violations that took place are being collected, the issue of applying to the Constitutional Court is being discussed with other political forces,” Vanetsyan said.

When asked by a reporter whether Vanetsyan himself will take up his seat in parliament, he responded that he will go to parliament and “not leave his team alone.”

Also Watch: ** Why did Pashinyan win?**

On June 21, one day after the election, the Armenia Alliance electoral bloc of former President Robert Kocharyan announced that it would apply to the Constitutional Court, regarding the validity of the election results, citing widespread violations and discrepancies.

"The bloc is launching political consultations with other forces who participated in the elections to discuss the possibility of applying to the Constitutional Court together," the bloc’s statement read.

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Armenia’s I Have Honor Alliance Candidate Arrested for Vote Buying

By Emilio Luciano Cricchio

Armenia’s Special Investigative Service reported on June 14 that the former Mayor of Armavir region Ruben Khlghatyan, who is running to be a member of parliament with Artur Vanetsyan and former President Serzh Sargsyan’s I Have Honor Alliance, has been arrested for vote buying.

According to the Special Investigative Service, Khlghatyan attempted to bribe a number of residents of his native Janfida village in Armenia’s Armavir region, to secure votes for the I Have Honor Alliance, which is in the run for the June 20 snap parliamentary elections.

“Ruben Khlghatyan had reached an agreement with a resident of the village of Janfida to bribe at least 147 voters in the Armavir region to vote for the [I Have Honor Alliance] in the snap elections,” the statement of the Special Investigative Service reads.

The report states that on June 10, at around 4:30pm, Khlghatyan drove to the house of a Janfida resident with the intention of transferring close to $20,000 to be passed among a list of voters.

Both persons were detained by the police at the time of the transfer, and the money was confiscated by police from the yard of the same house.

The former mayor was later detained by police as he was transferring the money, which was confiscated after officers inspected the scene.

Khlghatyan and the resident were arrested, and the court has approved the prosecutor's petition for detention as a measure of restraint.

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