At its first post-election cabinet meeting, Pashinyan directly hints  at intent to detain  political opponents  for "vote-buying"

ArmInfo.  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused the opposition of attempting to rig the June 7 parliamentary elections. At the same time, he commended law enforcement agencies for their vigilance, stating that their timely interventions successfully thwarted large-scale vote- buying schemes  and illicit pressure on the electorate.

At the same time, he expressed concern that certain types of crimes  in Armenia are met with unjustified tolerance. The first is domestic  violence, and the second is the category of crimes related to  electoral bribery. He stressed that the practice of tolerating  vote-buying must be radically changed and eradicated.  Pashinyan  demanded that those caught giving or receiving bribes ahead of the  elections must remain in prison until the conclusion of the next  elections and the announcement of their results—regardless of their  position, social status, or wealth.

By doing so, Pashinyan unilaterally outlined the terms of punishment  for such offenders, adding that if legislative and institutional  amendments are required to achieve this, they will be implemented  immediately. In his conviction, this is a matter of ensuring national  security and democracy. "There is no need to paint 'pitiful pictures'  later, as the core issue here is ensuring the principle of the free  will of the people," he stated, adding that long-drawn-out trial  processes reminiscent of the soap opera "Santa Barbara" must be  brought to an end.

As it has become known, the country's Prosecutor General's Office has  already launched a criminal case against Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of  the "Prosperous Armenia" party. Tsarukyan had previously alleged  electoral fraud by the ruling party and submitted an application for  a recount. Notably, businessman Gagik Tsarukyan's "Prosperous  Armenia" party fell below the 4% electoral threshold after the  Central Electoral Commission adjusted the preliminary vote counts.