Flour, Rice, Oil Before Elections: Bribery or Aid for Vardenis Residents?

The Vardenis municipality is distributing aid in the form of flour, rice, and oil ahead of the elections. Residents of Vardenis reported this to hraparak.am. They photographed the area where a queue formed, behind the House of Culture.

Aram Melkonyan, the mayor of Vardenis and the first candidate on the CP list, stated in an interview with the media that he is unaware of this assistance. “I am constantly in the villages these days due to the campaign; I am rarely at the municipality, so please call my advisor,” he said.

The mayor's advisor, Robert Stepanyan, also did not deny that aid is being distributed, but claimed it is only for refugees from Artsakh, who do not have the right to vote. “We are distributing food and hygiene supplies, but only to the Artsakh refugees,” said the mayor's advisor.

A source from the site insists that only Artsakh displaced persons are receiving aid. “They say it’s for the ‘atmazka’ (dispaced persons), but their voters are all receiving it as well. Ordinary voters are also getting it. This is the first time that the municipality is distributing assistance exclusively to Artsakh refugees. If it is only for them, why were they not doing this until now?”

The local government elections in Vardenis are scheduled for December 5.