The Armenian government decided today to terminate the powers of the Council of Elders of Yerevan (legislative assembly of the capital city) , suspending also the activities of the city’s municipality.
Minister of Territorial Administration and Development Suren Papikyan said the Central Election Commission (CEC) will announce the date of early elections to the Council of Elders not earlier than 30 and not later than 40 days after the publication of the government’s decision.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the election will be the first election of this scale for the new government and expressed hope that everyone realizes that the polls must be legal, transparent and fair.
“The first priority is to ensure freedom of election, democracy and the rule of law. I want to note once again that the tasks are clearly formed,” he said, warning against any attempt to falsify the polls. The government also decided to release 88 million drams (about $ 180,000) additionally to the police for ensuring order at the election.
The elections to the Council of Elders are scheduled for September. Members of the Council will then elect a mayor during their first session. If a party participating in elections receives more than 50 percent of the seats in the Council, the person who tops its list of candidates is considered elected mayor.
The list of candidates of the Civil Contract party of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is topped by a popular actor Hayk Marutyan. The Prosperous Armenia party’s list is topped by MP Naira Zohrabyan, TV anchor Petros Ghazaryan and political columnist Arman Abovyan.