Civil Contract loses key local elections: opposition

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenia faction in the National Assembly released a statement regarding local elections held in Gyumri and Parakar, asserting that "political resources have never been abused to this extent in local elections."

According to the statement, on March 30, residents of Gyumri and the enlarged Parakar community cast their votes and "did not allow the Civil Contract party to seize power."

"These elections were extraordinary in both communities because Nikol Pashinyan, as in other localities, had previously ignored the people's choice and unlawfully seized power.

This time, the administration extensively exploited its administrative resources, resorted to pressure on opposition candidates through repressive institutions, tried to manipulate voters through fear, and dispatched nearly all senior Civil Contract officials to these communities. After the defeat, they hypocritically claimed to guarantee free and fair elections, insisting they respect the citizen’s vote as law.

Such misuse of political resources in local elections is unprecedented," the statement reads.

The Armenia faction congratulated the Unity alliance for receiving the most votes in Parakar.

"We hope that the opposition forces that passed the threshold in Gyumri will elect a mayor and prevent any attempt by Pashinyan to usurp power there," the statement says.

The Central Electoral Commission has announced the preliminary results of the March 30 snap local elections. According to the summary, no political force gained a majority in Gyumri. Forming political coalitions will be necessary to elect a community head. If the opposition unites, Gyumri may have an opposition mayor.

In Parakar, four political forces participated in the elections: Civil Contract (Ludvig Gyulnazaryan), Unity Alliance (Volodya Grigoryan), National Progress Party (David Minasyan), and Stability Party (Gor Saribekyan). The leading force was the Unity Alliance, whose member party "Country to Live" announced the victory of their candidate, Volodya Grigoryan.