Armenia Arrests Six Strong Armenia Candidates on Election Eve Amid Bribery Allegations
Six candidates from the opposition Strong Armenia party were detained on June 6, 2026, one day before parliamentary elections. The arrests come amid heightened scrutiny of the pro-Russian party and its leader.
al-monitor.comArmenian authorities arrested six candidates for the Strong Armenia party on Saturday, one day before they were due to stand in general elections, state media reported without stating a reason for the detentions. The six candidates belong to Strong Armenia, a pro-Russian opposition party led by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan.
Karapetyan is under house arrest on charges of calling for the overthrow of the government, accusations he rejects as politically motivated.
State media outlet Armenpress said the Central Election Commission allowed investigators to initiate criminal proceedings against the six candidates. Armenia's state Investigative Committee carried out the arrests but did not respond on Saturday to questions about the reasons for the move. 4 million Armenians are eligible to vote in Sunday's election.
Polls show Strong Armenia with support between 6% and 11% of the electorate, placing it second behind Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party, which leads with between 24% and 32%. Armenia's relationship with Russia has become a central campaign issue. Moscow has imposed restrictions on Armenian exports in recent weeks in response to Yerevan's closer ties with the West.
Strong Armenia advocates maintaining economic and political links with Russia and has accused Pashinyan of stoking conflict with Moscow. Armenia's Interior Ministry said earlier this week it had identified at least 78 cases of pre-election crimes and detained 44 people, according to figures cited by Armenian media. The reports did not specify which parties the detained individuals represent.
On Friday, the Central Election Commission rejected a lawsuit filed by another opposition group seeking to bar Strong Armenia from the ballot over accusations of voter bribery and illegal campaign financing. Strong Armenia dismissed the lawsuit, with the party's spokeswoman stating the group was "ready for all scenarios" on Sunday.
