Armenia's opposition parties have asked the Constitutional Court to invalidate the results of the June 7 parliamentary election or order a rerun, alleging that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party suppressed opposition activity and coerced public-sector workers into voting for it. The court is expected to decide within two days whether to hear the case, as Pashinyan's party officially won 49.7% of the vote. The dispute has been sharpened by the arrest of several opposition politicians on voter-bribery charges — accusations the opposition's Strong Armenia party, led by Armenian-Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, has dismissed as politically motivated, calling the detentions an attempt to "completely destroy democracy." The election took place against a backdrop of geopolitical tension, with Russia — which maintains a military base in Armenia — imposing trade sanctions on Armenian goods in the weeks before polling day as Yerevan pursues closer ties with the West.