The Selection of the Polytechnic Rector Was Heavily Burdened by the Authorities

The fact that Gorg Vardanyan, a protégé of the Republican Party Vice President Armen Ashotyan, was elected as the rector of the Polytechnic was a heavy burden for the authorities yesterday. For two and a half years, the government has been struggling to find its own rector, but to no avail. The main university is still led by an acting rector, after two years of struggle at the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, the daughter of an opposition member was appointed, while they failed to secure the desired outcome at the Polytechnic, and the 29-year-old candidate of sciences won.

Since the resignation of the former rector Marukhyan in the summer of 2020, the government’s heavy artillery was fully engaged in thwarting this election. Initially, Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport Arayik Harutyunyan and, after his resignation, Hakob Arshakyan coordinated the process, but yesterday marked a final defeat for them. The authorities blame the chairman of the university's Board of Trustees, Hovik Musayelyan, believing that it was through him that the “grown” cadre of the former regime became the rector.

It is worth noting that the former pro-rector Vardanyan was appointed during Ashotyan's tenure as minister in 2015. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences by the Higher Attestation Commission on September 1, 2017. Since January 1, 2020, he has also been the head of the staff at the National Polytechnic University of Armenia. Notably, the lobbying for this candidate was also handled by Sergey Movsisyan, a deputy from the “My Step” faction, who is close to Vardanyan.