Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan has filed a lawsuit against Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, demanding he retract statements alleging that opposition forces secured votes through bribery.

Axar.az reports, citing Armenian media, that the lawsuit, filed on July 6, claims Pashinyan's remarks were defamatory and damaged the archbishop's honor, dignity, and reputation.

Galstanyan is also seeking symbolic compensation of 49.7 drams for moral damages.

The lawsuit asks the court to order Pashinyan to publicly retract the statements within five working days of the ruling taking legal effect. The retraction would have to be published on the official websites of the Armenian government and the prime minister, as well as in a print newspaper with a circulation of at least 5,000 copies.

It should be noted that, at the time, Pashinyan said: “If they hadn't been paid, no one would have voted for them. No one.”