Can the city council have an oppositional mayor? If in Armenia this question is being discussed or bargained then in Europe this would seem senseless. Moreover, if in European cities periodically governmental party mayors were elected then people would worry that something is wrong. For us Armenians this seems incredible but in many countries mayors represent the opposition. For example, the mayor of Paris Bertrand Delano represents the oppositional socialistic party. He has occupied this post since 2001. In the meantime the executive power starting from the president belongs to the people’s movement. Delano is the presidential candidate of France for 2012. For the curious ones let us mention that prior to the French Revolution the municipality members of Paris were heading the so-called provosts. On July 14 of 1789 after the occupation of Bastille the last provost of Paris Jack de Flessel was killed. And on the next day the first mayor of Paris was elected – Jean Silven Bally. A fresher example – Boris Johnson heads London, the capital city of the Great Britain. He represents the conservative party (the ruling party of the Great Britain is the Labor Party). He was elected London’s mayor on May 8 of 2008. Prior to that, the mayor’s post was submitted by a non-partisan Ken Livingstone. Livingstone was the first elected mayor of London. Prior to that, the city was headed by the council, the president of which had limited powers. However, after the legislative amendments of 2000 the London residents directly elect mayor. Let us also mention that besides the Mayor of London there is also another post – Lord Mayor of London. Many people confuse these two posts but those a totally different. London Mayor is elected by the people and heads the so-called Big London with a 7.5 million population. The Lord Mayor’s post is more traditional and symbolic. He is elected by the Parliament and represents the center of the city, which is famous for its financial institutions. His main function is the protection of the interests of the businessmen and citizens of London city. The current Lord Mayor of London is Alderman Ian Luder. By returning to the main theme let us mention that these two examples were the best evidence of efficient city management represented by the opposition. I think few people will object that London and Paris are two of the most important cities of the world. But the oppositional mayors manage them quite productively.
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