Yerevan’s Mayor Taron Markarian ruled out his resignation on Wednesday in the face of continuing protests by supporters of Armenia’s new central government who accuse him of corruption and mismanagement.
Markarian has been under pressure to step down since opposition leader Nikol Pashinian replaced Serzh Sarkisian as the country’s prime minister on May 8 after weeks of massive anti-government protests. Groups of Pashinian supporters have demonstrated outside the mayor’s office on a daily basis.
Over 30 protesters broke into the municipality building on Wednesday morning after it emerged that trees have been cut down in a nearby public park undergoing a complete reconstruction financed by a private charity. Police officers stopped them from advancing further towards Markarian’s office.
The angry protesters blocked a corridor leading to the office for nearly three hours, demanding that the mayor explain what they see as the park’s destruction and resign. They rejected a proposal by Markarian’s two deputies to vacate the building and meet with the mayor in an adjacent conference hall.
Armenia - Protesters hold a sit-in inside the Yerevan municipality building, 16 May 2018.
The municipal administration publicly demanded that the Armenian police take action against the intruders. The police chief, Valeri Osipian, discussed the incident with Markarian by phone afterwards.
“Why didn’t they inform us before cutting the trees?” one protester told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). “Why didn’t they say what they are going to do?”
Alen Simonian, until now a member of Yerevan’s municipal council representing Pashinian’s Yelk alliance, backed the protesters’ demands when he arrived at the scene. He said that Markarian, who is affiliated with Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK), must quit because he is part of a “political team” that has lost power in the country. Simonian also criticized Markarian’s track record.
Armenia - Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian speaks to reporters outside his headquarters, 16 May 2018.
The mayor rejected these demands when emerged from the building later in the day to speak to reporters in the presence of several dozen supporters holding a counterdemonstration there.“I condemn that,” he said. “It’s clear that there was a violation of the law. The activists broke into the municipality building and tried to disrupt the normal work of the municipality.”
Markarian insisted that he is not obliged to quit because of the regime change in Armenia. “All over the world it’s not common practice for a political force to try to suppress elected local government bodies after coming to power,” he said. “We will continue our work. We will make Yerevan a better place.”
The HHK again won a majority of seats in the municipal council in local elections held last year. The council in turn reelected Markarian, 40, as Yerevan mayor.