“It’s the residents of our city that gave us the mandate and only they can take it away,” Vardges Samsonian told reporters.
Civil Contract unexpectedly announced on December 6 the end of the power-sharing deal struck two years ago following a municipal election in which a bloc linked to the city’s longtime former mayor, Samvel Balasanian, garnered most votes but fell short of a majority in the local council. Civil Contract finished second in what was a serious setback for Pashinian.
Gyumri’s new municipal council appointed Samsonian, who is affiliated with the Balasanian Bloc, as mayor and two Civil Contract figures as deputy mayors. More than three dozen other members of Pashinian’s party were also given posts in the municipal administration. All those officials have stepped down since December 6.
The ruling party has blamed its exit from the local coalition on “shadowy governance” on the part of the Balasanian Bloc. But it has still not elaborated on the claims which the Gyumri mayor’s political team denied in a carefully worded statement issued earlier this week.
Civil Contract members attacked their former coalition partner on Wednesday during a tense session of the 33-member local council. But they again announced no plans to try oust Samsonian through a vote of no confidence.
Pashinian’s party controls only 11 council seats, compared with 14 seats held by the Balasanian Bloc. The eight other councilors represent three opposition groups. Two of those groups have explicitly ruled out any cooperation with Civil Contract.
They tried unsuccessfully on Wednesday to force a debate on the discord between the Balasanian Bloc and Armenia’s ruling party. The latter opposed such a discussion.
Despite not facing an imminent no-confidence vote, Samsonian will have trouble pushing key decisions, notably the local budget, through the Gyumri council. So far the mayor has signaled no plans to try to regain a majority there by teaming up with local oppositionists.