Armenian former foreign minister claims widespread election fraud

Former Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan posted on Facebook after the Constitutional Court released its ruling on the June 7 parliamentary elections. He argued that the real vote share for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s coalition did not exceed 35‑39 percent and that the announced result was produced through systematic manipulation, numerous violations and election fraud of unprecedented scale in Armenia’s history.

Oskanyan warned that the allegations strike at the legitimacy of the ruling authority, which came to power in 2018 on a pledge to eradicate election fraud. He also highlighted proposals linked to a “Fourth Republic,” constitutional changes, ceding disputed territories to Azerbaijan and restructuring the Armenian Apostolic Church, describing them as existential challenges for the state’s sovereignty and national identity.