Following the latest elections, Armenia’s current government can no longer appeal to electoral legitimacy, according to former First Deputy Minister of Justice Grigor Muradyan.
He argues that while questions about the government’s legitimacy were previously centered mainly on legal and constitutional issues, they have now been reinforced by political assessments.
Muradyan claims that since 2018 the authorities have systematically violated the foundations of Armenia’s constitutional order and therefore lost their constitutional legitimacy long ago. He adds that these developments still require a comprehensive political and legal assessment.
The Opposition Received More Votes Overall
According to the former deputy minister, the most important result of the latest elections was that opposition forces collectively received more votes than the ruling political force.
In his view, this indicates a significant shift in public attitudes and declining support for the current authorities.
Muradyan also claims that the election process was accompanied by serious violations. He points to breaches of campaign rules, administrative pressure, and psychological influence on voters.
According to him, the authorities attempted to create an atmosphere in which citizens were persuaded that failing to support the government could expose the country to the threat of war.
Around 60,000 Voters Were Effectively Disenfranchised
Muradyan also addressed the situation surrounding the Prosperous Armenia Party.
He argues that approximately 60,000 voters were effectively deprived of their electoral rights. The decision was later upheld by the Constitutional Court, which, in his assessment, further deepened public distrust in the election process.
The former deputy minister believes that under these conditions, the will of voters was distorted and that the decisions of the Central Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Court cannot serve as proof of the government’s electoral legitimacy.
“If the government was previously illegitimate from a constitutional perspective, it has now also lost its electoral legitimacy,” Muradyan stated.
Electoral Institutions Have Also Lost Public Trust
Muradyan emphasized that the officially recorded loss of approximately 60,000 votes has not received an adequate legal assessment.
He believes the situation demonstrates that the state institutions responsible for overseeing the electoral process have also lost public confidence.
In his view, both the Central Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Court have lost their constitutional legitimacy, even though they continue to exercise their formal powers.