Yerevan (Armenia): Armenia's Constitutional Court on Saturday rejected an appeal challenging the results of the country's snap parliamentary election. The court's verdict upheld the victory of acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's party in last month's vote. The June 20 election gave 71 parliament seats to Pashinyan's party, while 29 went to a bloc headed by former President Robert Kocharyan. A different bloc led by another former president, Serzh Sargsyan, won seven seats.
Those blocs and two smaller parties appealed the election results, arguing to the Constitutional Court that they should be declared invalid because of alleged voting violations. Representatives of the losing blocs alleged Saturday that the court made its ruling under political pressure. Pashinyan called the early election after months of protests demanding his resignation because of a November peace deal he signed to end six weeks of fighting with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
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The peace agreement saw Azerbaijan reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas that had been held by Armenian forces for more than a quarter-century. Protesters in Armenia denounced the deal as a betrayal of national interests, Pashinyan stepped down as prime minister, as required by law to hold the election, but has remained in charge as the country's acting leader. He stands to be formally appointed to the job by the newly elected parliament once it convenes.
(AP)
