Law enforcement in Armenia today searched the offices of two opposition parties participating in the March 30 municipal snap elections in Gyumri, the country’s second largest city, on bribery allegations.

Mother Armenia bloc mayoral candidate Karen Simonyan issued a Facebook post claiming that early this morning the Anti-Corruption Committee, the 6th Department, and the Kumayri Police Department entered the office of the bloc and began searching the apartment of headquarters director Ara Voskanyan.

Simonyan added that police are also searching the apartments of several of the Mother Armenia alliance’s supporters.

Attorney Hovhannes Khudoyan reported that law enforcement arrested Emma Grigoryan, a Mother Armenia candidate for town council.

Liza Gasparyan, assistant to Our City alliance town council candidate Martun Grigoryan, told Hetq that no one has been arrested yet, but an arrest warrant exists. A search was conducted at one of the alliance’s offices, while the other was closed.

Gasparyan described the incident as a political stunt, noting that although the government is trying to suppress and silence opposition candidates, Martun Grigoryan's popularity is growing daily.

Update: Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee reports that eight individuals, including representatives and supporters of political forces nominated in the Gyumri City Council snap elections, have been arrested on bribery charges, as well as violating the ban on charity donations during elections.