The mayor of Yerevan, Gagik Beglaryan, who beat up a staffer of the president’s office Aram Kandayan (Kndo), resigned from his position on December 4.
This incident has been discussed on all the cover pages of newspapers and web sites.
The entire political elite of Armenia attended Spanish renown singer Placido Domingo’s concert in Yerevan, and the president was at that concert as well. According to the www.news.am, the invitations of the concert have been managed and sent out by the minister of culture Hasmik Poghosyan. Yerevan’s mayor Gagik Beglaryan was invited too, who decided not to go to the concert, and her wife took his tickets and attended the concert with a friend, who is the wife of RPA member Ruben Sadoyan. The ladies took other seats than they had been given. According to the protocol of the president’s office, the seats next to the president can be taken only by the Catholicos, the prime minister and the parliament’s speaker, but according to the media these ladies took those seats. In order to take care of the protocol policies the president’s office staffer in charge of the protocol policies Aram Kandayan approached the ladies and asked them to change their places. The mayor’s wife called her husband and told her about this. The mayor decided to meet with Kandayan and talk to him. They met, and as soon as Kandayan got in the car, he received a shafer. After that Kandayan was taken to the Metax factory, which belongs to the family of Beglaryan, and was severely beaten up. The president was informed about this incident, and when Beglaryan wanted to meet with the president to explain the situation, he did not receive the mayor. According to the media publications, the president told the mayor to apologize to Kandayan personally and the president’s staff in general.
By the way, the PR department of the president’s office in their talks with the www.news.am refuted the rumors that Kandayan had been beaten up. In answer to the question whether Beglaryan was going to resign they said, “The information you have is not true”. However, the president’s spokesman approved this information and said, “Yes, unfortunately there has been an incident. Of course the media is exaggerating that information. Specifically, he was not kidnapped and neither was he beaten up severely. But there has been such incident.” He also said the following: “The president has spoken about his attitude to such behavior. It means that such behavior cannot be tolerated and is not acceptable, and it is worse if it is done with state official.”
Following this information, the PR department of the mayor’s office officially announced that Gagik Beglaryan had sent a resignation letter to the president. Gagik Beglaryan was appointed mayor in March 2009 by the order of the president, and on May 31, 2009, he was elected as the mayor of Yerevan as a result of elections as he was leading the RPA list. Gagik Beglaryan is a member of the executive power since November 2009.
According to the law, in the terms defined by the council of Yerevan but no later than within one month extraordinary elections should be organized. The right for nominating candidates for the mayor’s position is up to the factions the council members represent. Before the elections, according to the law, the mayor will be substituted by the first deputy mayor Taron Margaryan. In fact the new elections for the mayor’s position shall be organized till January 8. According to our information, the RPA board has held an extraordinary session, and Taron Margaryan participated in this session too. Following this session, the city council of Yerevan organized a session too.
P.S. The www.news.am web site refers to their sources from the RPA and informs that the RPA leadership want to appoint Taron Margaryan in the mayor’s position. By the way, the council also has discussed the issue who will be the deputy mayor in case if Taron Margaryan is elected. This is the RPA’s position too. To note, the RPA has 35 council members in the city hall of Yerevan. The RPA’s council members are the following people: Taron Margaryan, Derenik Dumanyan, Suren Nersisyan, Hrach Poghosyan, Karen Karapetyan, Anna Asatryan, Ara Minasyan, Artur Hovhannisyan, Ara Yernjakyan, Mariam Ghazaryan, Levon Igityan, Michael Dovlatyan, Karapet Ghazaryan, Ashot Movsesyan, Ruslan Baghdasaryan, Artur Petrosyan, Sergey Mkrtchyan, Hakob Khachatryan, Garik Kotanjyan, Manvel Avetisyan, Artavazd Sargsyan, Karen Grigoryan, Arayik Mkhitaryan, Arman Madatyan, Valeri Manvelyan, Ashot Papayan, Armen Gevorgyan, Armen Yeremyan, Hrachya Ayvazyan, Hayrapet hayrapetyan and Naira Nahapetyan.