Kremlin Notes Numerous Irregularities in Armenia's Parliamentary Elections

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Reports of numerous irregularities in Armenia's parliamentary elections were received during the vote, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted at a briefing. "There were a lot of things that were unclear. We have seen many reports of irregularities taking place," he said, when asked why the Kremlin was in no rush to congratulate Nikol Pashinyan, who has already claimed victory in the elections. Armenia held its parliamentary elections on June 7. According to preliminary data from the country's Central Election Commission, current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party secured 49.8% of the vote. Businessman Samvel Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia bloc received 23.3%, and the Armenia bloc, led by ex-President Robert Kocharyan, gained 9.9%. Other political forces failed to make it into parliament. On election day, observers and opposition members started to point to the unprecedented number of irregularities, including carousel voting and ballot removal. The authorities detained opposition members both during the election campaign and on election day.