The Republic Party plans to apply to Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) seeking to invalidate the registration of the electoral list of the Strong Armenia Alliance.

The information was confirmed by party parliamentary candidate Anahit Adamyan, according to Factor.am .

During a live televised debate of party leaders, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on opposition leaders to apply to the CEC regarding the issue, and the Republic Party has now indicated that it intends to do so.

According to Armenia’s Electoral Code, the registration of a party or alliance electoral list may be invalidated by a CEC decision in several specific circumstances, including voluntary withdrawal, dissolution, suspension or prohibition of a party’s activities, or when the number of parties within an alliance falls below two.

Article 88, Part 2 of the Electoral Code also provides that, in certain cases, registration may be revoked only on the basis of a court ruling if grounds defined in Articles 19, 26 or 27 of the code are established.

In particular, Article 19, Part 8 states that if violations of election campaigning rules are continuous in nature and may substantially affect election results, or if their consequences cannot be remedied, an electoral commission may apply to a court seeking cancellation of a registration.

The same provision stipulates that a court may take such a step only if it concludes that the violation was committed or directed by the candidate or political force itself.

Article 27, Part 5 also allows electoral registration to be invalidated through a court decision in certain cases involving violations of campaign finance rules and spending limits.

According to the publication, the potential legal basis in this case would most likely be the provisions outlined in Article 19, Part 8.

If the CEC receives such an application and decides to petition the court, the matter would be examined by the Administrative Court. Under Armenia’s Administrative Procedure Code, such cases are heard by a five-judge panel.

The law further requires courts to consider and decide claims concerning the registration, refusal of registration, cancellation or invalidation of electoral lists within five days, but no later than the day before voting.

The publication notes that at least four of the 23 currently serving judges of the Administrative Court have been mentioned in various criminal proceedings.

According to published information, the names of judges Mher Petrosyan, Argishti Ghazaryan and Lusine Boyajyan appeared in a case involving lawyer Armen Ohanyan, although they do not hold the status of defendants.

The report also states that judge Ani Harutyunyan is a defendant in a criminal case currently being heard by the Anti-Corruption Court but continues to serve because her judicial powers have not been suspended.

“The question arises whether the existence of criminal proceedings could cast doubt on the impartiality of these judges if the CEC decides to apply to the Administrative Court and they are included in the judicial panel,” the publication states.

The election campaign, which began on May 8, continued through June 5. June 6 is a day of silence, and parliamentary elections will be held on June 7. On May 25, the Alliance Progressive Centrist Party submitted a withdrawal request, after which the Central Electoral Commission invalidated the registration of the party’s electoral list. As a result, there will be no ballot paper numbered 13 in the upcoming elections.