YEREVAN – The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) is currently reviewing a petition to annul the registration of the ‘Strong Armenia’ party. This development follows an application filed by the ‘Republic’ party, challenging ‘Strong Armenia’s’ participation in the upcoming elections.
Legal Basis for Challenging Party Registration
According to Sos Hakobyan, a lawyer, there are two procedures under the Electoral Code for annulling a registered pre-election list of a political force: declaring the list null and void, or invalidating the list. Hakobyan indicated that both grounds appear to be present in the ‘Republic’ party’s application.
Grounds for Declaring Registration Null and Void
The request to declare the registration null and void primarily concerns alleged violations related to the party’s pre-election fund. Article 27, Part 5 of the Electoral Code stipulates that if the amount of fines imposed by the CEC exceeds 20% of the maximum allowable pre-election expenditure (800 million drams), the CEC has the right to appeal to the Administrative Court to declare the registration null and void. However, the CEC cannot make a final decision independently.
Why This Ground May Not Be Applicable
Hakobyan argues that this ground is unlikely to succeed for several reasons:
- There is no administrative act (CEC fine) confirming either under-reported expenses or exceeding the limit. Even if the CEC were to impose such a fine now, the party would have the right to appeal.
- On June 3, 2026, the CEC itself concluded that all participating political forces had incurred their pre-election expenses in accordance with the law. Therefore, any new application would require new evidence, which Hakobyan finds hard to believe exists.
- Under the somewhat convoluted Article 48 of the Electoral Code, parties can appeal a CEC decision (which could be a decision to appeal to court or to close the proceedings) within three days.
Consequently, Hakobyan believes that an application based on these grounds has no legal prospects.
Grounds for Invalidating Registration
The representatives of the ‘Republic’ party also mentioned grounds for invalidating the registration, though they did not provide specific details. Hakobyan notes that these grounds are even less likely to be viable. They typically relate to the initial submission of forged documents to the CEC.
Specifically, issues such as the absence of authority of the party’s congress or continuously operating governing body, or the non-adoption of relevant decisions, would need to be confirmed through judicial proceedings.
Conclusion on the Legal Challenge
Hakobyan concludes that at this stage, there are no reasonable legal possibilities to declare the registration of the ‘Strong Armenia’ bloc null and void or invalid.
Related Developments
The CEC is expected to make a decision by tomorrow, June 6, at 12:00 AM, on whether ‘Strong Armenia’ can participate in the elections. Earlier, on June 5, Anna Vardapetyan submitted an application to the CEC to strip six candidates from ‘Strong Armenia’ of their immunity.
This situation highlights the intense political climate surrounding the upcoming elections, with various parties engaging in legal and procedural challenges.
Source: https://www.pastinfo.am/hy/news/2026/06/05/12688/1970688
