A Group of Mayors Appeals to the Constitutional Court Challenging Pashinyan's Decision

On February 22, the term of long-time Dilijan mayor Armen Santrrosyan expired. According to the law, he was supposed to be appointed as the acting mayor. However, by a decree from Nikol Pashinyan, on February 26, a council member named David Sargsyan, whose gender was listed as 'male' on the application, was appointed as the acting mayor of Dilijan.

According to media reports, Sargsyan was previously an employee at a gas station and worked as a 'zapravchik'. We have learned that Sargsyan is from the village of Haghartsin and owns a construction materials shop, but his main qualification for being appointed mayor is his close ties to Pashinyan's nephew, MP Sipan Pashinyan. Residents of his home village do not have much love or respect for him, saying, 'Go to the village, ask around, many interesting and negative stories about him will be shared.'

Former Dilijan mayor Armen Santrrosyan told us that he has appealed to the Constitutional Court to contest the decision not to appoint him as acting mayor, asserting that this is a violation of constitutional order. We learned that together with Santrrosyan, seven other mayors have filed a unified petition to the Constitutional Court regarding this issue.