The pre-electoral delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which was on a two-day visit to Yerevan on 11–12 May, has issued an interim statement.

While attaching importance to a number of assessments and emphases reflected in the statement, and also appreciating the meetings held with representatives of the opposition “Armenia” parliamentary faction and other opposition forces, we nevertheless consider it necessary to draw attention to several important issues that remained outside the scope of the PACE pre-electoral delegation’s assessment, as well as to a number of unfounded observations presented in the statement as factual realities, thereby rendering the document vulnerable and one-sided.

In particular:

• The claims that “constructive cooperation” has been established “between the Armenian authorities and stakeholders” ahead of the June 7 elections are unfounded, especially considering that the authorities are deploying their full punitive arsenal against opposition forces participating in the elections, including criminal prosecutions, hate speech, the use of vulgar and unethical language incompatible with basic standards of decency, and systematic targeting.
• The observations and assessments presented are excessively vague, generalized, and superficial, failing to take into account the systemic nature of the problems. The issue at hand is not isolated incidents or merely a “tense political atmosphere,” but rather a consistent policy pursued by the authorities with the sole objective of reproducing and maintaining their power. This includes administrative control, repressive and institutional pressure, selective justice, restrictions on dissent, and political persecution.
• The statement effectively places the government and the opposition on equal footing, despite the fact that the authorities fully control the state apparatus and abuse administrative resources, law enforcement bodies, a significant segment of the media landscape, and the primary instruments for shaping the political agenda.
• Non-specific assessments do not restrain the current authorities; on the contrary, they further embolden them by creating an atmosphere of international tolerance and impunity, which, under the present circumstances, does not contribute to the implementation of democratic electoral principles.
• It is perplexing that many of the concerns raised by opposition political forces were merely recorded as “claims heard,” whereas the narratives advanced by the authorities were reflected as established facts.

Several oral and written observations presented by members of the “Armenia” faction during the meetings were neither reflected nor emphasized in the statement. These included concerns regarding:

• The deepening authoritarianism in Armenia and the concentration of all branches of power in the hands of the executive, which makes free and competitive elections nearly impossible;
• The dependence of the judiciary and the practice of selective justice, whereby unverified or fabricated allegations are used as the basis for criminal accusations, enabling the political majority to turn the judicial system into a propaganda instrument and to demonize political opponents in the absence of court verdicts;
• Amendments to the Electoral Code adopted only two months before the elections, in contradiction to the principle of legal stability and the recommendations of the Venice Commission;
• Expanded discretionary powers granted to the Central Electoral Commission regarding the accreditation of domestic observers;
• The widespread abuse of administrative resources and public funds by the authorities both before and during the campaign, including salary increases for Constitutional Court judges, pension increases, and bonus payments to loyal affiliates not envisaged in the annual state budget;
• Inequality in media access, including the disproportionate coverage of government activities by the Public Television broadcaster and the discrediting of opposition figures;
• The selective or inconsistent application of rules governing donations and charitable activities;
• The manipulation of securitized discourse by the incumbent Prime Minister and the ruling administration, as well as the cultivation of a climate of fear by intimidating the public with the threat of war should other candidates come to power;
• Public instructions issued to the Prosecutor’s Office and law enforcement bodies;
• Statements threatening the imprisonment or punishment of political opponents.
• Furthermore, the assertion in the statement regarding the “unprecedented involvement of the Armenian Apostolic Church in politics” is entirely unfounded and unbalanced. A genuinely balanced response by PACE should instead have addressed the unconstitutional actions and pressures directed against the Armenian Apostolic Church and its leader, His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians, including the unlawful commitment reflected in the Civil Contract Party’s electoral program to force the Catholicos to resign.

We hope that the PACE observation mission, committed to the values of democracy and, in particular, to the fundamental principle of forming government through the free expression of the people’s will, will base its future assessments on deeper, more substantiated, and comprehensive analysis.

With readiness for cooperation and respect,

“ARMENIA” PARLIAMENTARY FACTION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
13 May 2026, Yerevan