Hayaqve calls on RA CEC to cancel RA premier`s participation in NA  elections over abuse of office 

ArmInfo.  The Hayaqve civic initiative called on the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Armenia to disqualify Nikol Pashinyan, currently Prime Minister, from running in the June 2026 parliamentary elections as a candidate on the proportional list of the Civil Contract party due to gross abuse of office and calls for violence.

As the initiative reported on its Facebook page, at a decisive stage  of the election campaign, the "current regime," anticipating imminent  defeat and not limiting itself to open calls for violence against its  political rivals, resorted to blatantly illegal and brutal  repression. In particular, as Hayaqve recalled, Armenian Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is on vacation and without any official  authority, issued a direct order to the National Security Service of  Armenia on May 20 during a pre-election rally to initiate criminal  proceedings against Andranik Tevanyan, the leader of the Mother  Armenia party and the second candidate on the list of parliamentary  candidates from the opposition Prosperous Armenia party.

"This is one of the most egregious cases of violation of the freedom  and fairness of electoral processes in the history of the Republic,  openly calling into question the ability of the country's authorities  to conduct free and fair elections. Hayaqve condemns this flagrant  attempt at political retaliation, noting that the head of the  administration is abusing his official position, thereby calling into  question the legitimacy of the entire electoral process," the civil  initiative stated.

In this regard, Hayaqve called on law enforcement agencies, the  courts, and the Central Election Commission of Armenia to resist the  clearly illegal and anti-state pressure of the current administration  and to ensure justice by strictly adhering to the requirements of the  country's Constitution and the laws of the Republic. "We also appeal  to the Central Election Commission to annul the participation of  Nikol Pashinyan, currently serving as Prime Minister, in the 2026  parliamentary elections as a candidate on the proportional list of  the Civil Contract party due to gross abuse of office and calls for  violence," the civic initiative concluded.

On May 21, the Investigative Committee (IC) of Armenia announced the  initiation of a criminal case against Andranik Tevanyan for "treason  and espionage." The Investigative Committee stated that it received a  report from the National Security Service of Armenia alleging that  Tevanyan was "recruited in 2024 on behalf of a representative of  foreign intelligence services, who was the director of the Russia-  Caucasus geopolitical center. He carried out espionage and, for  $622,000, illegally provided the latter with information, translated  into Russian, containing state secrets regarding the progress and  results of hearings held at a closed, secret session of the National  Assembly in April 2024." Tevanyan himself called these allegations  absurd, noting that he resigned his parliamentary mandate in 2023  and, therefore, such allegations by the Investigative Committee are  baseless.

It is noteworthy that the day before the Investigative Committee of  Armenia opened a criminal case, on May 20, during a pre-election  rally in Vanadzor, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared  Tevanyan a traitor to the homeland. He added that on May 21, "the  National Security Service of Armenia will forward the criminal case  to the Investigative Committee, expecting that a criminal case will  be opened against Andranik Tevanyan for 'treason.'" The Armenian  prime minister then again promised to "completely and completely  eradicate the 'spy network' in Armenia."