YEREVAN—For the past two days, the primary topic ofdiscussion in Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city, has been the selection of the new mayor. As the Civil Contract Party failed to garner the majority vote needed to appoint a mayor, the key question remains whether the opposition forces will unite to back Vardan Ghukasyan, who ran with the Armenian Communist Party, or if political negotiations will lead to an alternative outcome.
Currently, the decision falls on Martun Grigoryan, the parliamentary deputy and mayoral candidate from the Our City alliance. Two other opposition candidates, Ruben Mkhitaryan of the My Strong Community alliance and Karen Simonyan of the Mother Armenia alliance, have already announced their support for Ghukasyan.
The results of the March 30 Gyumri municipal elections revealed the distribution of city council seats as follows: 14 mandates for the Civil Contract Party, eight mandates for theArmenian Communist Party, six mandates for the Our City alliance, three mandates for the My Strong Community alliance and two mandates for the Mother Armenia alliance.
After casting his vote in the Gyumri mayoral election, Mkhitaryanaddressed the press, emphasizing the election’s broader significance. “With the Gyumri elections, we are trying to awaken the people of Armenia, to give them a new pulse. With these elections, we are trying to restore our damaged dignity and finally restore our city,” Mkhitaryan stated. That sense of revival carries symbolic weight in Gyumri, which was thestarting point in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s “My Step” protest march in 2018.
Following the election results, Simonyan clarified his stance at a press conference. “We are not joining any political force; we are simply voting to ensure that the Civil Contract Party is removed from power,” he stated. Yet, even with their combined support, they still lack the majority needed in the city council.
Grigoryan has avoided making public statements. However, in a cryptic Facebookpost on March 31, he wrote, “Civil Contract will not have a mayor in Gyumri.” Grigoryan’s silence has prompted rumors that the Civil Contract Party might be willing to support Grigoryan in exchange for blocking Ghukasyan’s mayoral bid, despite their strong criticism of him during the campaign.
According to Oragir.News, Grigoryanwill not personally align with Ghukasyan, though members of his alliance are expected to vote in favor of Ghukasyan’s candidacy. Meanwhile, Ghukasyan has stated that while he awaits Grigoryan’s decision, he is not prepared to offer any positions, including that of deputy mayor, to Grigoryan’s political group.
In other electoral news, Valodya Grigoryan, the candidate from the Miasnutyun alliance, which includes the Living Country party,secured victory in the Parakar elections, defeating the Civil Contract Party and its allied forces with 57% of the vote. Supporters celebrated his victory at their campaign headquarters with street demonstrations and a fireworks display.
The candidates
Nine political candidatescompeted in the intense race for the mayoral seat in Gyumri on Sunday, with five securing seats in the city’s Council of Elders:
Sarik Minasyan (Civil Contract): The acting mayor, appointed after the Balasanyan Alliance resigned, was formerly affiliated with Bright Armenia before running as a nonpartisan in the December elections for interim mayor.
Vardan Ghukasyan (Armenian Communist Party): Former mayor with the Republican Party (1999 to 2012), he sought to reclaim his position despite legal issues. Prior to the campaign launch, he was briefly detained on suspicion of illegally carrying firearms.
Martun Grigoryan (Our City): The MP with the I Have Honor faction previously ran for mayor in 2008.
Ruben Mkhitaryan (My Strong Community): Mkhitaryan is a popular producer and composer.
Karen Simonyan (Mother Armenia): Simonyan is a businessman with a background in industrial management.
The other candidates who did not secure seats were Karen Malkhasyan (Living Country), Levon Barseghyan (European Alliance), Artem Tumanyan (Workers’ Socialist Party) and Artem Gharaghazaryan (Democratic Alternative).
Election process and votes
Constitutional expert Vardan Poghosyanexplained Armenia’s Electoral Code, detailing the process for electing Gyumri’s mayor. If no political party or alliance secures a majority of the votes in the initial round, the election proceeds to a straightforward vote. In such a scenario, each political force has the right to nominate its own candidate for mayor.
As per the Electoral Code, the candidate at the top of the electoral list is nominated first. If they withdraw, the next candidate in line is put forward. This process involves a transparent vote. If no candidate wins an absolute majority, a second round of voting is held between the two candidates who received the highest number of votes. In the second round, the candidate who secures the most votes becomes the mayor. While the first round requires an absolute majority, the second round is decided by a relative majority.
Poghosyan elaborated that if the Civil Contract Party nominates Sarik Minasyan and the Communist Party of Armenia nominates Vardan Ghukasyan, with no other candidates in the race, and neither candidate wins a majority in the first round, then the election will proceed to the second round. In this case, the mayor will be chosen based on which candidate receives the most votes from city council members.
Election violationsThe Investigative Committee of Armenia hasconcluded its review of violations during Gyumri’s elections. Based on reports from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Committee has initiated 10 criminal cases.
These involve breaches of voting secrecy, interference with the right to vote or participate in a referendum, obstruction of election commissions and theft of materials necessary for the electoral process. Additional violations include public incitement to hate, discrimination, intolerance or enmity, as well as hooliganism. The criminal cases were launched after reviewing social media posts highlighting multiple incidents during the elections.
Political responses
The opposition “Armenia” allianceissued a statement on April 1, 2025 regarding the outcomes of the elections in Gyumri and the community of Parakar. The faction stated that the people made their voices heard, preventing the Civil Contract party from taking power.
“On March 30, 2025, our fellow citizens in Gyumri and Parakar exercised their right to vote and firmly rejected the attempts of the Civil Contract party to seize control,” the statement reads. “These were extraordinary elections, triggered by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s disregard for the results of previous elections, as he sought to forcibly take power, much like in other local elections.”
The alliance also criticized the government’s heavy-handed approach, alleging widespread abuse of administrative resources. “This time, the administration spared no effort, using its administrative resources and repressive forces to suppress opposition candidates. They attempted to manipulate voters in an atmosphere of fear, sending almost all high-ranking officials from the Civil Contract Party to these communities. After failing, they hypocritically claimed to be the guarantors of free and fair elections, even asserting that the citizen’s choice is law for them.”
In conclusion, the alliance congratulated the Miatsutyun alliance, which secured the most votes in Parakar, and expressed hope for a similar outcome in Gyumri: “We hope that, in Gyumri, the opposition forces that have surpassed the electoral threshold will elect a mayor, thwarting any attempts by Pashinyan to seize power in the city.”
Hoory Minoyan
Hoory Minoyan was an active member of the Armenian community in Los Angeles until she moved to Armenia prior to the 44-day war. She graduated with a master's in International Affairs from Boston University, where she was also the recipient of the William R. Keylor Travel Grant. The research and interviews she conducted while in Armenia later became the foundation of her Master’s thesis, “Shaping Identity Through Conflict: The Armenian Experience.” Hoory continues to follow her passion for research and writing by contributing to the Armenian Weekly.
Hoory Minoyan