The country’s second largest city has been in limbo since the mysterious resignations last month of its Mayor Vardges Samsonian, his deputies and members of city council representing a local political bloc at odds with Civil Contract. The resignations followed criminal charges brought against the bloc’s unofficial leader, businessman Samvel Balasanian.
The party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian initially signaled plans to hold a snap election in Gyumri in late December or early January and nominate the head of its local branch, Karen Sarukhanian, as its mayoral candidate. But it changed its mind afterwards, deciding instead to delay the vote and install an acting mayor of the city.
Pashinian announced on Tuesday that the mayor will be picked by Civil Contract members and “randomly” chosen city residents in a “primary election” scheduled for December 8-10. He did not specify practical modalities of that vote.
Some media outlets claimed afterwards that it will be a smokescreen for nominating Pashinian’s preferred mayoral candidate, Vahagn Mkrtchian. The latter is related to the prime minister’s wife.
Mkrtchian confirmed his participation in the upcoming “primary.” Also entering the fray were three other local members of Pashinian’s party.
Sarukhanian, who is reportedly disliked by other Gyumri-based party activists, is not among them. In a cryptic Facebook post, he indicated on Friday that he has not yet decided whether to seek the party’s nomination.
Sarukhanian found himself in hot water early this month after two men linked to him were detained by Gyumri police on suspicion of possessing drugs. Newspaper reports said that Pashinian ordered him to take a drug test and that the test came back positive.
Sarukhanian insisted late last week that he took the test at his own initiative and that it on the contrary proved that he is not a drug addict. He accused “scheming” Civil Contract figures of trying to discredit him.
Levon Barseghian, a Gyumri-based civic activist, suggested that the “primary” announced by Pashinian will deepen the apparent rift within the party branch in the city. He said disgruntled candidates not nominated by Civil Contract could fail to campaign for it in the mayoral race.
“This is not the United States where Republican rivals of Donald Trump rallied around him when the Republican Party nominated him [as a presidential candidate,]” Barseghian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Barseghian also echoed opposition fears that the acting Gyumri mayor will be tasked with facilitating the ruling party’s election victory through abuse of his or her government levers.
Pashinian and other officials in Yerevan have still not indicated possible election dates.