Armenia local elections see victory for Pashinyan amid opposition claims of intimidation

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has characterized the recent local self-government election results as a milestone in the destruction of his political opponents, stating that the outcome reflects the support of Armenian citizens.

Opposition groups, including the Hayastan alliance and Strong Armenia, have contested the legitimacy of the process. They allege that the government engaged in a campaign of intimidation and obstruction, citing the pre-election arrests of over two dozen activists and supporters on vote-buying charges that the accused claim are politically motivated. These arrests and other instances of detention reportedly led dozens of candidates to withdraw from the races.

While the Hayastan alliance did not participate in the elections, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) fielded candidates in four communities, polling between 10 and 15 percent. Pashinyan described his political rivals as “foreign spy forces” that must be destroyed.