RPA Deputy Chairman: Pashinyan, without securing popular support,  simply stole mandates from Prosperous Armenia on live television

ArmInfo.The Armenian opposition cannot, and could not, achieve success in Armenia's latest parliamentary elections using electoral mechanisms alone. Armen Ashotyan, Deputy Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA),  stated this in a message from Vardashen Prison, reacting to the  election results.

According to Ashotyan, he predicted in advance that these elections  would not be free and fair. And, as the RPA Deputy Chairman noted,  the only thing transparent about them was the ballot envelopes.  "Under these conditions, the opposition cannot and could not achieve  success through electoral mechanisms alone.  Therefore, struggle  through street protests and political action is imperative," Ashotyan  asserted.

In his opinion, the elections were rigged before they even began, on  the day of the election itself, and even afterwards. "Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan's formula for success was clear: (administrative -  ed.) resources, fear, campaign bribes, and the 'OK' from the West."  However, having failed to achieve the desired result even after all  this, Pashinyan simply stole the mandates from the Prosperous Armenia  Party (PAP) on live television," Ashotyan recalled.

Considering all of the above, the RPA deputy chairman expressed his  conviction that the new National Assembly in Armenia is illegitimate.  "Despite Pashinyan's attempts to clear himself of the government's  illegal actions after the 2021 elections, one cannot ignore the fact  that the National Assembly formed as a result of those elections was  also illegitimate. Consequently, the bodies and decisions derived  from it, including the government, also could not and cannot be  considered legitimate," Ashotyan emphasized.

According to him, the same applies to the new parliament, since the  legal foundations for its formation were undermined from the very  beginning. Under these circumstances, Ashotyan believes, the  opposition is obliged to act together, and the initial steps in this  direction, he said, deserve support and require continuation. He also  condemned the attacks against Armenia's third president, Serzh  Sargsyan. "It's worth noting that, even in this situation, targeting  Armenia's third president or the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) by  certain circles resembles a mental illness. The manipulation of the  Constitution forces me to say that 'the Constitution hinders a  divided opposition.' If certain circles had fought their shortcomings  and mistakes as vigorously as they have against us, perhaps they  would have been more successful," Ashotyan stated.

Regarding the distribution of mandates, the Republican expressed his  conviction that the correct and most effective course of action would  be to take them, along with the unification of all other methods of  political struggle. However, as the RPA deputy chairman noted, before  this, a full and honest vetting of the candidates is necessary to  prevent the inevitable attempts to "steal mandates." Ashotyan also  commented on the situation with the PAP. "There have been instances  in the history of independent Armenia where an opposition force has  accused the government of stealing its votes. However, for the first  time, not only was the votes of one of the opposition forces  effectively reduced, but an entire faction from the National Assembly  was amputated live on air. If Pashinyan previously accused the  previous government of rigging elections, now he himself has gone  down in history as an 'electoral thief,'" Ashotyan believes.

He expressed his conviction that Pashinyan's post-election aggression  indicates his understanding that he actually lost and that his  declared "victory" is false and dishonest. Because, according to him,  honest victors strive to have a more united, unifying, and national  position and image.

"The ancient Romans told their opponents: 'Either defeat Rome or  surrender!'" That's how the meeting between the Roman general Marius  and King Mithridates ended. Pashinyan is certainly not a Roman in his  civilizational level. But more importantly, in our reality, the Roman  formula must be expressed differently:  "Either defeat Pashinyan, or  disappear as a state," the RPA deputy chairman concluded.

As a reminder, regular parliamentary elections were held in Armenia  on June 7, 2026. On June 14, Central Election Commission Chairman  Vahagn Hovakimyan presented the final results of the parliamentary  elections. According to him, the Civil Contract Party has entered the  Armenian parliament with 49.7456% of the vote, Samvel Karapetyan's  Strong Armenia bloc with 23.2710%, and second president Robert  Kocharyan's Armenia bloc with 9.9231%. Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous  Armenia Party failed to pass the 4% parliamentary threshold following  a recount, receiving only 3.9893%.

Tsarukyan's party failed to pass the threshold after the Central  Electoral Commission of Armenia annulled the results of three polling  stations where Tsarukyan's party received more than 200 votes. Thus,  according to Hovakimyan, the seats were distributed as follows:  Pashinyan's party received 64 seats, achieving a constitutional  majority of 3/5 in parliament. Karpetyan's bloc received 29 seats,  and Kocharyan's bloc received 12 seats.