Businessman and philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan’s team will take part in the National Assembly elections under the Strong Armenia Alliance name.
Following a meeting of representatives of political forces that joined the alliance, Gohar Meloyan, a member of the Strong Armenia party and constitutional law expert, told journalists that Samvel Karapetyan’s name had been removed from the alliance’s title as a result of legislative amendments adopted by the National Assembly.
She noted that the relevant documents regarding the name change will soon be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, Sputnik Armenia reports.
Based on Meloyan’s application, an extraordinary closed session is scheduled at the Central Electoral Commission on April 22 (the Commission has announced that the deadline for submitting nomination applications is April 23 at 18:00).
During the meeting of the political forces forming the alliance, the full electoral list was also published. Journalists asked why Samvel Karapetyan’s name was not included in the list.
“Samvel Karapetyan’s name could not be on the list, as he currently does not meet the eligibility requirements set for the Prime Minister of Armenia. He will become Prime Minister when we win the elections and implement constitutional reforms. We have declared that Samvel Karapetyan will become solely a citizen of Armenia,” she emphasized.
The Country to Live and Strong Armenia parties have signed a memorandum on joint participation in the upcoming elections. Party co-chair Mesrop Arakelyan stated during the meeting that the June 7 elections are a choice between surrender and struggle.
Narek Karapetyan, a member of the Strong Armenia party council, noted that there are four imprisoned billionaires in the world, two of whom are Armenian.
“Our nation has shared goals, and to achieve them, we are glad to unite each time with new forces that are not responsible for the current situation in Armenia. We are pleased that the Country to Live party, founded by Ruben Vardanyan, has joined us,” he said.
During the briefing, he added that discussions had also been held with other political forces but did not specify which ones, noting that results would be announced only after negotiations are completed.
“There are public and political forces that are interested,” he stressed.
Earlier, during a briefing before the meeting, former mayor of Vanadzor and alliance member Mamikon Aslanyan, responding to a question about possible changes to the list, stated that the first 30 names remain unchanged and final, while decisions on the remaining part will be made by the council and announced the next day.
“There will be no further changes in the first 30 names of the list,” he said.
The top ten of the electoral list includes Narek Karapetyan, Aram Vardevanyan, Gohar Meloyan, Davit Ghazinyan, Ruben Mkrtchyan, Arega Hovsepyan, Mamikon Aslanyan, Avetis Arakelyan, Marianna Ghahramanyan, and Hayk Sukiasyan.
Regular parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for June 7, 2026.
