Mayor Elected: COAF and Republic Parties Signed Cooperation Agreement

The Civil Contract and Republic parties signed a cooperation agreement in Yerevan, and Tigran Avinyan was elected as the mayor, although the governance of the city will be carried out based on a principle of joint administration.

This brief information may not convey much to the reader without addressing several crucial aspects. On September 17, Yerevan had decisively rejected the Civil Contract, as reflected in the low voter turnout, which was around 28%. Such situations occur when there is a total lack of trust in state and electoral institutions.

Even with the consolidated use of administrative resources, the Civil Contract garnered only 32.5% of the votes, making the mayoral position unattainable, even with a coalition with its satellite party, Republic. The three opposition factions only needed to consolidate for the purpose of nominating a unified candidate for mayor or boycotting the city council's three sessions, which would have opened the door for snap elections.

However, there was no consolidating effort from the opposition. The 'Public Voice' decided to ensure the much-desired quorum for Avinyan, while the Republic party voted for Avinyan, irrevocably taking the path of 'Civil Contract-ization.' As a result, Yerevan now has a 9% mayor.