Pashinyan announced the date for the mayoral elections in Gyumri
The preliminary elections in Gyumri will take place on December 8, 9, and 10. This was announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his Facebook page.
Pashinyan also explained the reason for this decision. According to him, he cannot make an appointment through a unilateral administrative decision. This is why the upcoming preliminary elections will be held in Gyumri.
In the near future, preliminary voting or elections will be held in Gyumri, which is internationally referred to as “primaries.” We will ask members, supporters, and sympathizers of the Civil Contract party to run or self-nominate as candidates. They will be registered according to certain political criteria, and some registrations may be denied. After that, a vote will be conducted among the residents of Gyumri, though not all, based on specific principles, including some degree of randomness. The candidate who wins the vote will be appointed as the acting mayor of Gyumri.
On October 24, 2024, the mayor of Gyumri, Vardges Samsonyan, resigned. The ruling political force in Gyumri was the “Balasanyan” alliance. The decision for the mayor’s resignation, it is noted, was made after criminal prosecution was initiated against former mayor Samvel Balasanyan, his son, and three other close associates. The investigation, related to the sale of land plots near the Black Fortress (Sev Berd), led to the decision to arrest the former mayor of Gyumri.