Gyumri elections: emotions come into play without political thinking,  expert says 

ArmInfo. When there is no political or even simple thinking, emotions are exploited, as  happened in 2018, with corresponding consequences. Political  scientist Stepan Danielyan wrote about this on his Facebook page,  commenting on the situation with the elections to the Council of  Elders of Gyumri.

"Our Sarik", "Your Levon", "Our City".... From the election slogans  in Gyumri, one can understand that the main message of many  candidates is that they are good people, they love the city, and the  city should love them and... elect them. Meanwhile, the concepts of  "love", "good" and "bad" guys are not political categories and do not  contain messages about development or problem solving," the political  scientist noted. He added that when there is no political or even  simple thinking, emotions are exploited, as happened in 2018, with  corresponding consequences. "Ideological, intellectual degradation,  the desert of the mind are very well expressed in the slogans of the  "good guys" who love their city and participate in the elections to  the Gyumri Council of Elders," Stepan Danielyan emphasized.

Nine political forces - six parties and three blocs - are  participating in the elections scheduled for March 30.  At the end of  October 2024, representatives of the opposition bloc "Balasanyan",  including Mayor Vardges Samsonyan, resigned early as members of the  Gyumri Council of Elders. On November 8, 2024, the Council of Elders  failed to elect a new mayor, as the ruling political force failed to  ensure a quorum without the support of the opposition. The acting  mayor was appointed by the Prime Minister of Armenia from among the  candidates of the ruling force based on the results of the primaries;  he was Sarik Minasyan.