"Zhoghovurd" daily writes:
"Election of an opposition member of parliament becomes a basis for criminal prosecution. RA Prosecutor's Office asks CEC for permission to initiate proceedings against opposition candidates RA General Prosecutor's Office has applied to the Central Election Commission to obtain permission to initiate criminal prosecution against the leader of Armenia bloc, deputy candidate Robert Kocharyan, deputy candidates Asatur Kocharyan and Ruslan Barseghyan, as well as Davit Ghazinyan, deputy candidate of the "Strong Armenia" party. According to "Zhoghovurd" daily newspaper, in the case of Robert Kocharyan, we are talking about a new criminal prosecution. However, on what grounds the prosecutor's office applied to the CEC, it is not known yet. The Central Electoral Commission does not reveal the content of the petition, and the prosecutor's office refuses to provide details.
The created situation has become an occasion for new discussions in political circles. Opposition figures and their supporters express concern that the political struggle is gradually moving into the field of the law enforcement system. It is noteworthy that during the campaign for the extraordinary elections of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan repeatedly stated that Robert Kocharyan, Gagik Tsarukyan and Samvel Karapetyan should be brought to justice. Although the prime minister did not provide details on specific cases or legal bases, it is not essential in this case. According to the official sources of "Zhoghovurd" daily, law enforcement agencies can initiate new proceedings against influential opposition figures, who are considered by the government as the main political counterweight, regardless of the basis or justification. The government does not intend to give up its public political agenda. In opposition circles, these developments are evaluated as a possible new stage of political pressure, especially in the conditions when the opposition is preparing to challenge the results of the National Assembly elections in the Constitutional Court. According to them, actions against the key players of the opposition through the law enforcement system can have a significant impact on the neutralization of the post-election political processes. What decision the Central Electoral Commission will make and what legal justifications were presented in the petitions of the prosecutor's office will become clear in the near future. However, it is already obvious that the post-election political struggle is entering a new and tense phase, and Nikol Pashinyan's former employee, CEC Chairman Vahagn Hovakimyan will do as Pashinyan wants."
