Armenia’s post-election process is entering a new phase. Seven political forces that participated in the parliamentary elections have already appealed to the Constitutional Court, challenging the election results and presenting their objections.
As a result, the key question is what decision the Constitutional Court may reach and how that decision could affect the country’s political and legal landscape.
Former Speaker of the National Assembly Tigran Torosyan argues that the Court should focus not on every reported violation but specifically on those issues that may have directly affected the final election outcome.
Recounts Revealed Significant Discrepancies
According to Torosyan, multiple inconsistencies have already been identified.
Several recounts revealed substantial differences between original precinct protocols and the figures later published by the Central Electoral Commission.
In some cases, he says, the discrepancies amounted to hundreds of votes, making it difficult to attribute them to simple clerical errors.
Not Every Violation Affects the Outcome
At the same time, Torosyan stresses that the existence of electoral violations alone is not sufficient to justify overturning election results.
The Electoral Code requires proof that a specific violation had an actual impact on the final outcome.
According to him, even widely discussed issues such as pre-election promises to increase pensions are difficult to connect directly to a measurable number of votes and therefore are harder to use as a legal basis for challenging results.
The Prosperous Armenia Case Is Central
Torosyan believes greater importance should be attached to cases where the impact can be measured numerically.
In this regard, he highlights the situation involving the Prosperous Armenia Party.
According to him, recounts demonstrated that the party had received more votes than originally recorded, with the difference exceeding the number needed to pass the parliamentary threshold.
Invalidating Results Changed Mandate Distribution
The Central Electoral Commission later invalidated the results of three polling stations due to reported violations.
Torosyan argues that this decision reduced Prosperous Armenia’s vote total and ultimately altered the distribution of parliamentary mandates.
In his assessment, the ruling political force benefited from that outcome by securing greater representation in parliament.
“As a result, the overall composition of the future parliament was effectively altered,” he stated.
The Electoral Code Required a New Vote
Torosyan notes that Article 111 of the Electoral Code provides for a new vote in polling stations where violations or invalidated results may influence the overall election outcome.
According to him, the CEC was obligated to use this mechanism but failed to do so.
The Constitutional Court Cannot Order a Precinct Re-Vote
Discussing possible Constitutional Court decisions, Torosyan emphasizes that the Court does not have the authority to order a new vote at individual polling stations.
Instead, it can either uphold the results announced by the CEC or conclude that the final results do not accurately reflect the will of voters and recommend new parliamentary elections.
New Elections May Be the Only Legal Solution
The former parliament speaker argues that if the true election outcome can no longer be reconstructed, the only remaining legal solution is to hold new elections.
Such a process would begin from the start, with new deadlines, nominations, and a new electoral campaign.
New Elections Would Not Automatically Favor the Government
Torosyan also stresses that new elections would not automatically benefit the current authorities.
According to him, opposition forces would have an opportunity to learn from previous mistakes, correct shortcomings, and organize their campaigns more effectively.
In conclusion, he describes the situation as a serious violation of the Electoral Code.
In his view, if the CEC indeed ignored a mandatory legal requirement to organize a new vote, only a Constitutional Court ruling can correct the situation.