Pro-Russian politicians arrested a day before the elections in Armenia. They are all members of a billionaire's party
The Investigative Committee of Armenia arrested six candidates from the pro-Russian opposition on Saturday, a day before the parliamentary elections, reports Reuters, taken over by Agerpres.
According to the Yerevan state media, the respective politicians are members of the Strong Armenia party of billionaire Samvel Karapetian, arrested at home on charges of instigating the overthrow of the government.
Armenia's relations with Russia were at the center of the election campaign. In recent weeks, Moscow has restricted Armenian exports in response to the rapprochement of the government led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian with the West.
Suspicions of Russian interference
According to the polls, Strong Armenia is rated with 6-11% of voting intentions, while the ruling Civil Contract party leads by a margin, with 24-32%.
Sunday's elections are nevertheless considered a test for Pashinian, who is trying to consolidate peace with Azerbaijan, a historical enemy. Armenian civil society has warned that the electoral process is marred by disinformation paid for by Russia – a charge that Moscow denies.
The Investigative Committee did not immediately specify the reason for the arrests from among the opposition, and the Strong Armenia formation did not react for the time being.
This week, the Yerevan Ministry of the Interior stated that 78 electoral crimes were identified, in connection with which, according to the Armenian media, 44 arrests were made.
On Friday, the Central Electoral Commission rejected a lawsuit filed by another opposition group, which demanded that Strong Armenia be completely excluded from the election, on the grounds that it bribes voters and finances its campaign illegally.
