The tactical decision is clearly designed to boost the party’s and its mayoral candidate Tigran Avinian’s chances in the elections.
Yerevan’s last mayor, Hrachya Sargsian, stepped down on March 17 after only 15 months in office. The Armenian capital has since been effectively run by Avinian, one of its deputy mayors.
Under Armenian law, the city council controlled by Civil Contract has to meet by April 11 to elect a new mayor. The council majority leader, Armen Galjian, said that he and the other pro-government members of the municipal assembly will boycott the vote and thus make it null and void.
“Our faction has decided not to elect a new mayor given that only a few months remain before the next elections,” said Galjian.
Isabella Abgarian, an independent member of the council, deplored the boycott. She said Armenia’s political leadership opted it for it simply because Avinian is not a council member and therefore not eligible for the post of mayor now.
“They can’t nominate someone else because that person could develop ambitions after becoming mayor, which would interfere with their plans,” Abgarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Avinian will thus remain Yerevan’s de facto mayor and exploit his power of incumbency during the mayoral race, she said.
None of Armenia’s major opposition groups have fielded mayoral candidates so far.
The last municipal elections were held in September 2018. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s won the overwhelming majority of seats in the city council and installed TV comedian Hayk Marutian as mayor. The council ousted Marutian in December 2021 after he fell out with Pashinian.