Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has authorized prosecutors to initiate criminal proceedings against former President Robert Kocharyan, the leader and first candidate of the “Armenia” Alliance in the recent parliamentary elections, according to his lawyer.
The decision came in response to a petition from the Prosecutor General’s Office, which is required to obtain CEC approval before initiating criminal proceedings against election candidates.
The move comes just two days after Kocharyan was prevented from leaving Armenia despite there being no publicly known criminal case against him at the time. The developments are likely to fuel further criticism from opponents of Pashinyan’s government, who have accused it of using state institutions to target political rivals.
The Prosecutor General’s Office is headed by Anna Vardapetyan, a former assistant and legal adviser to Nikol Pashinyan who was nominated by him and elected Prosecutor General by the National Assembly in 2022.
The CEC also confirmed that prosecutors have sought authorization to initiate criminal proceedings against “Armenia” Alliance candidates Ruslan Barseghyan and Asatur Kocharyan.
