During yesterday’s session the Council of Elders of Yerevan made a decision to hold the mayor’s election on December 17. Reminder: According to the law on Yerevan self-government after the vacancy of the post of the mayor the Council should elect a mayor no later than a month after his resignation. The factions of the Council have the right to nominate their candidates during extraordinary elections. Mayor is elected the candidate, who gains the majority of votes. Thus the RPA faction, which has the majority of Council members, also is going to nominate its candidate. The Republican Party hasn’t yet declared the name of its candidate and up until yesterday as the most possible candidate was discussed the acting mayor Taron Margaryan’s name. However, according to our information, in the government elite doesn’t have a final decision on his candidacy. Moreover, as of yesterday, it was also found possible that the candidate of the RPA would be the general director of ArmRusGazArd Karen Karapetyan. According to our information Karapetyan’s candidacy has become more seriously considered after the last week’s visit of Serzh Sargsyan to Moscow. So it is not excluded that Karapetyan’s candidacy was consented with the government of Russia or perhaps the Russian side has offered Karapetyan’s candidacy. If a final decision is made about the latter’s candidacy then during the to-be summoned RPA session prior to December 17 Sargsyan will introduce the RPA members to the non-RPA mayor’s candidate or in other words the name of the new mayor. Of course this will happen if nothing unexpected and surprising happens in the near days. As a mayor perhaps Karen Karapetyan would make the best mayor because of being a high-quality manager. However, in a political aspect, his candidacy as a pro-Russian person is seemingly not quite unanimously accepted by certain internal political forces of Armenia. Yerevan is a city with over million population and here in fact political matters are decided. It means that in Armenia, which already has an extremely much Russian influence, another Russian presence will be added with the possible consequences thriving from that.
