Armenia Bloc: State and local government employees  being forced to  vote for  ruling party in  June 7 elections under threat of dismissal

ArmInfo.With parliamentary elections set for June 7, the opposition Armenia block—led by the country's second president, Robert Kocharyan—has  raised a major alarm over suspected electoral fraud and systemic voter intimidation.  According to an official statement from the alliance, public sector employees and local government staff are allegedly being coerced into voting for the ruling Civil Contract party under explicit threats of termination. To more effectively organize this process and create the impression of control, lists of employees are being compiled.   "The  Armenia bloc is conducting investigations to identify and  prevent such crimes. Given the bias documented in court proceedings,  we urge those reporting violations to collect evidence whenever  possible - data revealing the identity of those making threats, as  well as information recorded by video cameras. We emphasize that  using influence exerted by official authorities to coerce people to  vote is a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term of four to  eight years. We call on officials to refrain from committing criminal  acts. At the same time, we remind voters that elections are secret,  and violating secrecy is a crime. No one has the right or can control  your vote. The hotline number for legal issues is: +374 95 273399  /WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Signal,"  the statement reads.