Vardan Ghukasyan, who previously served as mayor of Gyumri from 1999 to 2012, has been elected once again to lead Armenia's second-largest city.

The first session of the newly elected city council was attended by representatives from the Armenian Communist Party, Our City, Mother Armenia, and My Strong Community factions. The Civil Contract faction, however, was absent, according to Sputnik Armenia.

The Mother Armenia, Our City, and My Strong Community factions announced they would not nominate their own candidates and instead pledged support for the opposition force that garnered the most votes. They stated their intention to remove Civil Contract from power in Gyumri.

The Armenian Communist Party nominated Ghukasyan for mayor. Ahead of the vote, he delivered a speech, stating: “A very harmonious election was held, despite the ruling party’s attempts to cause disruption.”

All 18 opposition council members unanimously voted for Ghukasyan, confirming his return to the post.

On March 30, municipal elections were held in Gyumri and Parakar. Six parties and three alliances participated in the Gyumri elections, with five passing the electoral threshold (4% for parties, 6% for alliances). The Civil Contract party secured 14 seats, the Armenian Communist Party 8, the Our City alliance 6, My Strong Community party 3, and Mother Armenia alliance 2. Mother Armenia and My Strong Community initially announced support for Ghukasyan, later joined by Our City.