Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) Vahagn Hovakimyan said he is unaware of how the Prosecutor’s Office was able to bring charges against Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukyan without CEC consent, while Tsarukyan continues to hold the status of parliamentary candidate.

“Direct your questions to the Prosecutor’s Office, not to the CEC,” he told reporters at the National Assembly, according to Aysor.am .

Hovakimyan noted that the candidate has the right to appeal the prosecutor’s decision, but added that it would be inappropriate to expect the CEC chairman to comment on the actions of the Prosecutor’s Office.

Addressing questions about whether the Prosperous Armenia Party led by Tsarukyan will enter parliament, the CEC chairman said that the final election results will be published on June 14. At this stage, recount procedures are still underway, Armenpress reports.

According to him, the CEC has received recount requests from three political forces: the Prosperous Armenia Party, the Strong Armenia alliance and the Wings of Unity party.

According to preliminary data, votes in the elections were distributed as follows: Civil Contract — 49.825 percent, Strong Armenia — 23.281 percent, Armenia Alliance — 9.934 percent, Prosperous Armenia — 3.996 percent. Updated figures indicate that the Prosperous Armenia Party has not passed the electoral threshold, which is 4 percent for parties. The party has requested recounts in several polling stations.