ArmInfo.Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan on May 24 sent a protocol to the CEC on the termination of office of Alen Simonyan as a member of the Council of Elders. According to the CEC, the protocol was received and is subject to review.
He noted that Alen Simonyan received a mandate in the Armenian Parliament, thus taking the place of the head of the Elk faction Nikol Pashinyan, who became prime minister. However, yesterday Simonyan stated that he is giving up his mandate in Parliament, as he wants to remain on the Council of Elders of the City Hall. Simonyan also hopes that in the case of Margaryan's resignation, he will be nominated as a candidate for the post of mayor. At the same time, he did not exclude the fact that he can keep the mandate of the NA deputy.
Alen Simonyan, on his Facebook page, wrote that the mayor of Yerevan simply wants to get rid of him, however, it is not so easy. Simonyan resolutely stated that Margaryan used all loopholes in the law to free himself from Simonyan's membership in the Council of Elders and effectively deprived him of the right to choose. "I ask the Elk faction to give me the opportunity to participate in the meeting of the Council of Elders on May 30. Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate as a member of the Council of Elders, but I will participate in this meeting," Simonyan said.
Taron Margaryan responded to the statement, informing the latter that according to the Constitution of Armenia, a deputy of the National Assembly can not simultaneously be a member of the Council of Elders. "Thank you for your contribution, you have always raised important questions in the Council of Elders, I hope that your place will be occupied by an equally prepared specialist," Margaryan wrote.