Oligarch Karapetyan says he will stay in Armenia even if election bid fails

Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the “Strong Armenia” party and a Russian businessman, has said he does not plan to return to Russia if his political bloc loses the elections in Armenia, according to TASS.

“I am not going anywhere, I will work here, in Armenia. Don’t worry, I have a lot of work,” Karapetyan said at a polling station where he was brought to vote.

On June 18, 2025, Samvel Karapetyan was detained on charges of public calls for the seizure of power and was placed under arrest for two months. His detention was later repeatedly extended.

On April 17, the court ruled to prolong his house arrest for an additional three months, while changing the location of his confinement from Tashir to Yerevan.

In Armenia, parliamentary elections are being held on June 7. A total of 18 political forces are participating in the vote, including 16 parties and 2 party blocs. These include the ruling Civil Contract party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, as well as opposition alliances such as Armenia bloc led by former president Robert Kocharyan and Strong Armenia bloc headed by Narek Karapetyan.

According to the Central Election Commission, slightly fewer than 2.5 million citizens are eligible to vote.

By Jeyhun Aghazada