ArmInfo. Seven candidates will take part in the primary elections for the post of mayor of Gyumri. The decision, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on social media, was made by the board of the ruling Civil Contract party.
Thus, the following will take part in the primary elections for the post of mayor of Gyumri:
Karen Sarukhanyan, Levon Ananyan, David Arushanyan, Shavarsh Aramyan, Emma Barseghyan, Sarik Minasyan, Vahagn Mkrtchyan.
"They can conduct an election campaign from today, and the preliminary voting will take place on December 8, 9, 10. I will appoint the candidate who receives the most votes in the preliminary voting as acting mayor of Gyumri. I will additionally inform about the voting procedure," he wrote.
On October 28, Gyumri Mayor Vardges Samsonyan resigned.
This happened after a criminal case was opened against the founder of the bloc, former mayor Samvel Balasanyan, who is accused of illegally alienating land plots around the famous "Black Fortress". One of Balasanyan's sons was recently detained. At the same time, members of the Council of Elders of the "Balasanyan" bloc also resigned. On November 8, the meeting of the Council of Elders of Gyumri to elect a new mayor of the city failed due to the lack of a quorum. In this regard, the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan announced the holding of new elections in Gyumri, which, according to preliminary data, will be held in the spring of 2024.
On November 27, the Prime Minister announced his intention to hold intra-party voting (primaries) on December 8, 9 and 10 to elect the acting mayor of Gyumri. A possible candidate, he indicated, should be from the circle of members, associates, and like-minded people of the State Duma.