The leader of the Mother Armenia party was detained with the approval of the Central Election Commission.

Security forces detained Andranik Tevanyan, chairman of the Mother Armenia party, who is a candidate for parliament from the Prosperous Armenia party. Prior to this, the prosecutor's office convinced the Central Election Commission to approve the criminal prosecution of the candidate.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on May 22, NSS officers conducted searches at the Mother Armenia party office and the apartment of its leader, Andranik Tevanyan, who is second on the Prosperous Armenia party's list of candidates.

Andranik Tevanyan has been detained, the Mother Armenia party announced today. "After the Central Election Commission agreed to deprive Tevanyan of his freedom, Tevanyan voluntarily appeared before the Investigative Committee. However, after a long wait, his entry to the Investigative Committee was not ensured. Instead, masked NSS officers, in order to stage a masked show, handcuffed him and literally marched him two steps," News.am quotes the party as saying.

Armenian analysts assessed the pre-election promises of political forces

On the evening of May 22, the Central Election Commission of Armenia granted two motions from the prosecutor's office: one for criminal prosecution of Andranik Tevanyan and one for his imprisonment.

According to the politician's lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, the CEC held a closed meeting for several hours, following which it agreed to strip Tevanyan of immunity and initiate criminal proceedings, the publication writes.

Tevanyan shares Tsarukyan's pre-election position

As a reminder, oligarch Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia Party and the Mother Armenia Party are participating in the parliamentary elections together. On February 15, Tevanyan stated that they were "fully satisfied" with the Prosperous Armenia party's election program and spoke of the need for "opposition forces to participate in the elections as a united front," adding that "a change of power is necessary."

Questions about Armenia's future have become central to the election campaign

Armenian Parliamentary Elections The elections are scheduled for June 7. Seventeen parties and two blocs have been admitted. Samvel Karapetyan's Strong Armenia bloc, Robert Kocharyan's Armenia bloc, and Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia party are the most pro-Russian participants in the upcoming elections. The Kremlin is backing Karapetyan, but he is legally ineligible to participate.

The opposition's fragmentation has not diminished despite the campaign that began on May 8 and the increased pressure: the main opposition parties are vying for votes and political leadership. Representatives of the "Strong Armenia" and "Armenia" blocs emphasized the importance of partnership with Russia, but emphasized the need for the country to pursue an independent policy. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report entitled "2026 Elections to the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia."