Nikol Pashinyan, the currently jailed editor of an opposition daily, was denied the proof of his five-year permanent residence in Armenia, without which the Central Electoral Commission is not entitled to register his candidacy in a parliamentary by-election.

The ground for not confirming the constitutionally required residence qualification was the letter sent by the Head Department of the Armenian Police’s Criminal Investigation Department on November 3, which states that from February 26, 2008 to July 7, 2009 Pashinyan was wanted by authorities and he did not live in Armenia during that period.