By Alexander Pracht
Non-partisan candidate Sarik Minasyan won an open primary election held by the ruling Civil Contract party and will become the interim mayor of Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city, to serve until the upcoming spring elections, amid controversy over the procedure as the country’s opposition and civil society groups view the decision to hold the primaries undemocratic.
Minasyan formerly served as a member of the national parliament, representing the liberal Bright Armenia party, once allied with the Civil Contract but later part of the opposition and now a non-parliamentary force. He defeated six other competitors, including Karen Sarukhanyan, the head of Civil Contract’s Gyumri branch and a sitting member of parliament. Sarukhanyan was initially the party’s only nominee for caretaker mayor but fell out of favor after a drug scandal involving his relative, which raised concerns about the potential impact on the party’s reputation. This prompted the decision to hold a competition to determine the interim mayor.
Gyumri has been without a mayor since October when the opposition-aligned Vardges Samsonyan resigned from his position following allegations against the key figures of his Balasanyan Bloc, including former mayor Samvel Balasanyan, who had ruled Gyumri between 2012 and 2022 and is wanted on suspicion of committing economic crimes.
The ruling Civil Contract party, initially determined to prepare for a snap election in the city, instead opted to let its leader, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, appoint a caretaker mayor. This move was made possible after the party, which holds the majority in the parliament, pushed a bill that gives the Prime Minister and regional governors the ability to appoint temporary acting heads of local communities in the case of political stalemates.
Parliamentary opposition members severely criticized the bill, saying it would result in local government bodies coming under the control of the executive branch. They also pointed to the current situation in Vanadzor, Armenia’s third-largest city, where the interim mayor appointed by Pashinyan has been in office for more than three years. The ruling party also used similar political maneuvering in a number of other communities nationwide, including Sisian, Vardenis, and Vedi.
This strategy has been severely criticized not only by the opposition but also the country’s civil society groups who have alleged that the ruling party is manipulating electoral law to consolidate power in key communities and use the advantages of incumbency to tackle competition.
The election of a non-partisan politician like Minasyan could be seen as an effort to find a compromise rather than directly appointing Sarukhanyan, whose candidacy was marred by controversy. Additionally, the public election for the permanent mayor is scheduled for sometime in the spring, although no specific date has been determined. Prime Minister Pashinyan has previously stated that the elected caretaker mayor is likely to become the Civil Contract party’s nominee in the upcoming general mayoral election.
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