AZE.US
Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has been barred from leaving Armenia, according to regional reports, in the latest sign that the country’s post-election tensions are not over.
Kocharyan, who leads the Armenia Alliance, was reportedly stopped at Zvartnots Airport while attempting to leave the country for a private three-day trip.
His office said the visit had been planned in advance and was postponed earlier because of the election campaign. Bagrat Mikoyan, head of Kocharyan’s office, said the former president was not given any explanation for the restriction and called the move illegal.
The development comes after Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission confirmed the final results of the June 7 parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won 49.7456% of the vote and will be able to form a government on its own. The Strong Armenia Alliance received 23.2710%, while Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance received 9.9231%.
According to the final seat distribution, Civil Contract will hold 64 seats in the new parliament. Strong Armenia will have 29 seats, and the Armenia Alliance will have 12.
Prosperous Armenia, led by businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, failed to pass the 4% threshold after receiving 3.9893% of the vote.
The election result is being challenged by opposition forces. Reuters reported that Strong Armenia filed a petition with the election commission seeking to annul the results, citing alleged voting irregularities.
The Central Electoral Commission said the invalidation of results at three polling stations did not affect the overall outcome. It also said no violations were recorded that could have changed the result.
AP described the election as a major test of Armenia’s geopolitical direction, with Pashinyan seeking closer ties with the European Union and the United States while his main opponents campaigned on preserving Armenia’s traditional ties with Russia.
The campaign and its aftermath have been marked by accusations of pressure, arrests and selective justice. Strong Armenia leader Samvel Karapetyan is under house arrest, while Tsarukyan has also faced legal action and a travel restriction after the vote.
Kocharyan’s reported travel ban adds another layer to the political crisis. His bloc has already said it will challenge the election results in the Constitutional Court.
For Pashinyan, the final results provide a mandate to continue his foreign policy course, including closer cooperation with the West and the peace process with Azerbaijan.
For the opposition, the post-election period has become a fight not only over the vote count, but also over political space inside Armenia.
The immediate question now is whether the opposition challenge remains limited to legal appeals or turns into a wider campaign against Pashinyan’s new government.
AZE.US