Opposition supporters protest outside Constitutional Court to defend  votes of Armenian citizens

ArmInfo. Supporters of Armenia's opposition are currently holding a protest outside the Constitutional Court, where their petition to invalidate the June 7  parliamentary elections is being heard. Significant police forces  have been deployed to the area in response to the protest.

The Constitutional Court is reviewing joint petitions from seven  opposition political forces challenging the election outcomes. In an  interview with journalists, Prosperous Armenia Party candidate Suren  Surenyants Suren Surenyants, a parliamentary candidate from the  "Prosperous Armenia" party, characterized the move as unprecedented  in Armenia's history. He noted that the sheer number of opposition  forces filing these petitions reflects a deep-seated lack of trust in  the nation's electoral institutions. "Only once, in 2003, did the  Constitutional Court reject the opposition's application, but it did  mandate that the authorities hold a referendum of confidence within a  year. I'm not optimistic. But the opposition must still utilize all  the legal tools at its disposal," Surenyants emphasized.

The politician explained that the opposition could then appeal to the  ECHR on human rights grounds.  "Today's hearing is also an  opportunity for the court members to either pursue the legal path or  become a lapdog for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The  opposition, in turn, must now create the appropriate 'systems' for a  change of power in the country," Surenyants said.

In turn, legal expert Gohar Meloyan, a member of the Strong Armenia  bloc, reported that the opposition is currently presenting its  statements in court. While noting that constitutional culture in  Armenia still requires development, she expressed hope that the Court  would carefully consider the evidence provided. " "The petitions we  have submitted detail the intense activities of the 'Civil Contract'  party during the pre- election period and on voting day itself,"  Meloyan stated. "These activities could not have failed to impact the  final results."

Note, members of the Hayakve civic initiative also held a protest  nearby, demanding the release of Avetik Chalabyan, coordinator of the  Hayakve, and other political prisoners. They arrived at the  courthouse with posters reading, "In the name of the rule of law" and  "No to selective justice." Chalabyan's wife told reporters that her  husband has health problems that have been ignored. She believes his  detention is an act of revenge due to his involvement in uncovering  electoral fraud. It should be noted that the Hayakve initiative  supported Samvel Karapetyan's Strong Armenia bloc during the  parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Note, during today's session, the Constitutional Court rejected the  opposition's request to consider the inability to participate in the  case of judges Seda Safaryan and David Khachaturyan due to their  bias. In turn, attorney Aram Orbelyan, representing the Prosperous  Armenia party, filed a motion to invalidate the court's composition,  citing the fact that only seven of the nine judges were present at  the hearing. The court rejected the motion. Notably, attorney Aram  Vardevanyan, a member of the Strong Armenia bloc, opposed the motion,  noting that, given the bias of the dismissed judges, a full hearing  was impossible. During the hearing, Judge Arman Dilanyan announced  that the next hearing would be held on June 27. He also noted that it  could be continued on June 28, given the limited time available for a  decision. Dilanyan noted that the deadline for publishing the  decision is July 4.