The Ruling
Per Azatutyun.am and Hetq.am reporting, the Central Electoral Commission convened the hearing at approximately 20:00 on 5 June 2026 to consider the Republic Party petition filed earlier in the week by party leader Aram Sargsyan personally, on Republic Party letterhead. The petition asked the CEC to deregister the Strong Armenia bloc (the political vehicle backing the campaign of businessman-philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, currently held in pre-trial detention) on grounds of vote-buying distribution and 'concealed material interest' during the campaign.
The hearing ran approximately two hours. The vote was unanimous to reject. CEC chair Vahagn Hovakimyan summarised the basis for the rejection: 'There are no grounds for invalidation; the cancellation request was based on suppositions.' Strong Armenia, during the hearing, denied promising or distributing bribes. The procedural file is closed.
What the Petition Tested
OWL had documented the Republic Party petition earlier in the week as the procedural vehicle that could -- if granted -- void the Strong Armenia bloc's place on the 7 June ballot. The petition's existence on Republic Party letterhead, filed at the closing-week point, was already a signal: a vehicle was being built for the eventuality. Whether the vehicle would be deployed depended on the CEC.
The unanimous CEC rejection means the deregistration vehicle, in this form, has failed. Strong Armenia remains on the ballot for Sunday's vote. Karapetyan remains the bloc's named principal. The post-vote deregistration question -- can CEC act on a similar petition AFTER the vote, voiding seats won -- has not been tested but the precedent set tonight makes that path procedurally more difficult.
The Closing-Hours Significance
Procedural deregistration of an opposition bloc on the eve of a vote, in any electoral democracy, is the kind of move that triggers international observer concern. The 'no grounds' ruling from a unanimous CEC means that the institutional brake against late-stage deregistration held. This is one of the small data points from which observer mission assessments are built.
OWL is documenting the ruling because the post-vote political environment will be shaped by what was tested in the closing hours and what was not. The Republic Party petition was tested and failed. The next test -- whether the Investigative Committee opens a fresh case against Karapetyan personally after the vote, on related vote-buying allegations -- remains open. Whether the CEC, the SIS, or both move next will tell voters whether the 'no grounds' ruling reflects institutional resilience or merely procedural calendar pressure.
Sources: Azatutyun.am, 5 June 2026 22:16 (CEC ruling, Hovakimyan quote) · Hetq.am, 5 June 2026 (CEC decision) · Hetq.am (hearing live coverage) · Hetq.am (hearing-opens dispatch)