Vanadzor Oppositionists Decry ‘Illegal Power Grab’

Vahagn Hovakimyan, one of the authors of the amendments affiliated with Civil Contract, said it is aimed at addressing “disruption of normal governance” in such communities.

“We have such a problem in Vanadzor at the moment,” Hovakimyan said during a short parliament debate held under a so-called “urgent procedure.”

Opposition lawmakers dismissed the official rationale for amending the law. They insisted that Pashinyan is doing everything to retain control over Vanadzor and possibly other communities against the will of local voters.

“We are discussing an issue which solely applies to a community or communities where [the ruling party] failed to take power,” said Agnesa Khamoyan of the Hayastan alliance.

“If the authors of this bill were a bit more honest they would call it a bill on disenfranchising Mamikon Aslanyan and the people of Vanadzor,” charged another Hayastan parliamentarian.

Four other communities were also left in limbo as a result of nationwide local elections held on December 5. Pashinyan’s party was defeated or failed to win outright there. Opposition politicians and human rights campaigners in Yerevan accused the authorities of sabotaging the election of their new mayors to prevent them from falling under opposition control.

In one such community comprising the town of Vartenis and surrounding villages, police cordoned off the municipal administration building in early January to prevent a local opposition figure, Aharon Khachatryan, from taking over as mayor. Khachatryan finally managed to take office last month.