Pashinyan: Echmiadzins have a historical chance for the first time in  the history of the Third Republic by means of free will to choose a  woman as mayor of the city

ArmInfo. The velvet revolution in Armenia is entering a decisive phase, and the Echmiadzinians have a chance for the first time in the history of the Third Republic to  choose a woman as mayor of the city through free will. This was  stated by. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on October 18 at  the pre-election rally of Echmiadzin's mayor candidate Diana  Gasparyan.

According to Pashinyan, in Echmiadzin, the spirit of revolution was  felt most of all. It was the residents of this city who experienced  the best of chaos and life under the yoke of the modern "princes".  "This coming Sunday, you have to make another revolution, no less  important than the one that was accomplished," he said.

In the history of the Third Republic there were no women mayors,  noted the acting. heads of government.  Diana Gasparyan can be the  first. According to him, since 1996 there have been unsuccessful  attempts to make a revolution in Armenia. The revolution that the  Armenian people carried out in April of this year, as Pashinyan  pointed out, was very different from previous ones - for the first  time women were so widely involved in it.

As Pashinyan stressed, one should not think that the concept of  "woman leader" goes against traditional family values. "I know this  from my own experience," he said, stressing that his wife, Anna  Akopyan, had always been active in social activities. "The victory of  a woman in elections in Echmiadzin, in one of the most conservative  cities of Armenia, in the spiritual center of the country, can be  another, but the most important victory of the velvet revolution," he  said.

Nikol Pashinyan once again emphasized that henceforth in Armenia the  supreme power belongs to the people. "After the velvet revolution,  much has changed. Today, the people cannot be considered as"  electoral stock ", which can be bought for 5-10 thousand drams. From  now on, the rule of law is indisputable in the RA," the acting  president stressed. premiere.

It should be noted that in the early elections of the mayor of  Echmiadzin, 14 candidates were nominated, all of them were  self-nominated candidates, only one of them was nominated by the  party. The official website of the CEC of Armenia notes that among  the candidates are lawyers, private entrepreneurs, doctors,  financiers. 2 out of 14 party candidates, one is the representative  of the "Civil Contract" party, the second is "Bright Armenia".

Thus, applications for participation in the elections were submitted  by the current acting. Mayor of the city Diana Gasparyan, who is a  self-promoted candidate. However, she is not the only female  candidate for the post of mayor. An employee of the Financial  Department of the Office of the National Assembly of Armenia, a  financier, non-partisan Susanna Margaryan is also an independent  candidate. The next candidate for this post is Sergey Sargsyan, whose  candidacy was nominated by the party "Bright Armenia".  Two of the  candidates - Zhorzhik Navasardyan and Karen Stepanyan - are members  of the Chamber of Lawyers. Candidates are also private entrepreneurs  Gagik Baghramyan and Samvel Davtyan. Candidate Vahagn Tadevosyan -  Assistant Head of the Erebuni Cardiology Center, Vardan Arakelyan -  Director of LLC, Vazrik Grigoryan works in another LLC as an adviser,  Suren Topalyan - head of the department in Echmiadzin City Hall,  opposite their names Vahe Movsisyan and Samvel Muradyan their  families are not specified Suren Muradyan - chief expert at "National  Center for Technical Security" SNCO of the Ministry of Emergency  Situations of Armenia. Recall that after the publication of the video  of the National Security Service on June 17 about the abuse of  Lieutenant General, Armenian MP Manvel Grigoryan, his son -  Echmiadzin Mayor Karen Grigoryan - resigned. Diana Gasparyan, a  former employee of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, was appointed  acting head of the city administration. Since 2008, she has been  active in opposition activities.