Ousted Village Chiefs Reelected

The former mayors of two Armenian villages have been reelected just months after resigning under pressure from angry local residents.

The villages located in the southern Armavir and Ararat provinces were among 24 mostly rural communities in various parts of Armenia where voters elected the heads of local administration or councils on Sunday.

Most of those local races were tightly contested despite a lack of interest shown by political parties, including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil Contract.

The ruling party decided not to endorse any of the election candidates, even though seven of them are affiliated with it. Some of those Civil Contract members were defeated.

As was the case during other elections held after last spring’s “velvet revolution” in the country, there were virtually no reports of serious fraud in the local polls. Armenia’s Investigative Committee said it has received no election-related information that warrants an inquiry.

Minister for Local Government Suren Papikian praised the conduct of the polls when he spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian service on Monday.

“The government’s role is to ensure equal conditions for everyone and prevent any [election-related] violations or abuses,” said Papikian. “We have accomplished that task. Residents of those communities themselves decided who should head their communities.”

“Nobody can claim that the authorities helped this or that candidate or used administrative resources,” he said.

Papikian complained, though, that many people in those communities preferred their “clan-based and family” interests to the intellectual and other merits of candidates. “Many people with a higher level of education got much fewer votes [than other candidates,]” he said. “Nobody took note of their programs.”

The two villages, Vartashen and Urtsadzor, were long run by individuals supporting the former Armenian government. Hundreds of local residents forced the mayors to step down in October and November after a series of protests that were clearly inspired by the “velvet revolution.” Both men managed to win the weekend elections and regain their posts.

In Vartashen, some residents gathered on Monday to protest against Artur Manukian, the reelected mayor who remains affiliated with former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party.

There were also allegations of foul play made by Vahan Zareyan, a Civil Contract member who was defeated in a mayoral election held in Vartenis, a small town in the Gegharkunik province. Zareyan and his supporters claimed that the election winner was unfairly helped by the provincial governor, Gnel Sanosian.

Papikian dismissed the complaints, insisting that the election outcomes in Vartenis and the other communities are legitimate. People unhappy with them should simply “reckon with the reality” and at the same time “put the activities of every community head under a microscope,” added the minister overseeing local government bodies.