Armenia recount could reshape results beyond opposition gains, ruling party MP warns

A recount of votes at several polling stations could alter the outcome of Armenia’s parliamentary elections in ways that extend beyond opposition parties, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Civil Contract party has said.

Civil Contract MP Vaagn Aleksanyan told journalists in parliament that irregularities identified during vote counting may have affected multiple political forces, not only those contesting the election results, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

Opposition representatives from Prosperous Armenia have alleged that their vote tally was deliberately understated in an effort to prevent the party from entering parliament. Aleksanyan rejected the claim, pointing instead to what he described as a mechanical error at one polling station.

He said members of the precinct electoral commission mistakenly skipped a line when completing the official protocol, resulting in votes for Prosperous Armenia being incorrectly attributed to the National Democratic Pole. The latter is listed as No. 8 on the ballot, while Prosperous Armenia is No. 7.

According to Aleksanyan, the same error affected parties further down the ballot order due to a cascading shift in recorded data, including Civil Contract itself, which he said lost around 650 votes as a result.

“For this reason, it cannot be claimed that a recount would benefit only opposition forces,” he said.

Aleksanyan also addressed concerns over the presence of large groups of servicemen at certain polling stations shortly before closing time. He argued that military personnel were acting within their duty schedules, noting that some soldiers rotate between frontline assignments and voting opportunities.

The election, held on June 7, saw 16 parties and two electoral blocs compete for seats in the Armenian parliament, according to official figures.

By Aghakazim Guliyev