Aram Vardevanyan, a representative of the Strong Armenia party and legal counsel, told reporters outside the Central Election Commission (CEC) that the commission’s consideration of the motion concerning Narek Karapetyan, elected to parliament on the party’s list, is “political theatre” aimed solely at interfering with Karapetyan’s work in the National Assembly.

On July 21, the CEC began considering, at an extraordinary session, the Prosecutor’s Office’s request seeking consent to initiate criminal proceedings against Karapetyan.

“Yesterday we witnessed a situation that, I can say, I had never seen before in Armenia. The CEC acknowledges that the candidate has already acquired the status of a member of parliament, yet, despite that, proceeds to examine a request for consent to initiate criminal prosecution. We have never had such a case before,” he said, according to Panorama.am.

Vardevanyan recalled that in June 2021, Armenia’s Prosecutor’s Office had submitted a similar request concerning then-MP Ishkhan Zakaryan, but after the Constitutional Court issued its ruling, the CEC returned the motion. According to him, the same happened in June 2026, when the commission returned the request concerning Narek Karapetyan.

“What happened next? In 2021, the Prosecutor’s Office did not submit another motion regarding Ishkhan Zakaryan. In 2026, however, the situation is different. It is the same Prosecutor’s Office, but after the CEC returned the request, it submitted it again. I want to emphasize one important point: the motion was resubmitted on July 13. Its content clearly suggests that the Prosecutor’s Office seems to have confused the CEC’s role with that of an administrative court or an appellate administrative court,” Vardevanyan said.

According to him, the Prosecutor’s Office expected the CEC to change its previous position.

“And that is exactly what happened. Instead of returning the request immediately, without examining its substance, the CEC opened proceedings. What is all this? It is political absurdity, political persecution and political theatre aimed exclusively at interfering with Narek Karapetyan’s activities in the National Assembly. The CEC, which held one position about a month ago, now has a different position on the same issue, and this change was preceded by the intensification of Narek Karapetyan’s political activity,” Vardevanyan said.

The CEC chair had previously stated that the Prosecutor’s Office had again applied to the commission seeking consent to initiate criminal proceedings against Narek Karapetyan, this time citing the relevant Constitutional Court ruling. According to the chair, until the protocol confirming the elected deputies and the composition of parliament had been finalized, the commission had no legal basis to consider the matter.

The chair also said that from July 21 until 10:00 a.m. on August 2, the individuals listed in the protocol are considered elected but have not yet assumed their parliamentary mandates. During that period, decisions on granting consent for criminal prosecution fall within the CEC’s jurisdiction. It has not been disclosed in connection with which criminal case the Prosecutor’s Office submitted its request, as that information has been classified as part of the secrecy of the pre-trial investigation.