Armenian authorities have warned of criminal penalties for bribes and vote-buying
Ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, Armenia is issuing stern warnings against interfering in the electoral process. Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan stated that law enforcement agencies are ready to take action against bribery, recalling the prison terms for receiving (up to 7 years) and giving (up to 8 years) bribes.
According to Simonyan, Armenian citizens living abroad have been warned of possible "conversations" at the border upon arrival. Deputy Parliament Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, in turn, added that those arriving from abroad will be immediately arrested at the Yerevan airport if they are found to have accepted an election bribe.
Against this backdrop, Daniel Ioannisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO, reported the removal of dozens of YouTube channels in Armenia that portrayed Russia in a positive light. The blocking affected not only political but also historical resources, as well as channels critical of Western foundations and the opposition.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed the opinion that the opposition parties "Strong Armenia" and "Armenia" bloc, considered pro-Russian, would not pass the electoral threshold. In total, more than 20 parties and alliances submitted applications to participate in the elections.
