Alaverdi City Council's Secret Vote Declared Invalid

During an extraordinary session of the Alaverdi City Council, after the conclusion of a secret vote, the current mayor Arkadi Tamazyan entered the meeting room, followed by Mesrop Arakelyan. Tamazyan stated that the session had begun in violation of the law, as they were supposed to wait 30 minutes for the mayor or his deputy to arrive, and only then could the meeting be conducted by a council member in their absence.

After this, Mesrop Arakelyan took the ballot box to show it to the journalists, indicating that the voting had already taken place, which led to a verbal dispute and a scuffle. Police officers had to escort Arakelyan out of the room. It is worth noting that the room also contained the ruling party's member Aren Mkrtchyan. A verbal exchange ensued between Mkrtchyan and Tamazyan, resulting in insults being exchanged. Police also escorted Tamazyan out.

Due to the incident involving the ballot box, it was proposed to consider the previous voting invalid. Currently, council members are voting again. It is important to recall that the extraordinary session in Alaverdi includes 14 members.

The agenda of the meeting includes a vote of no confidence against the current mayor Arkadi Tamazyan and the election of ruling party faction leader Davit Qumashyan as the new mayor. Residents of Alaverdi are conducting a protest action near the entrance of the city hall in support of the mayor.

According to Mesrop Arakelyan, one of the founders of the 'Living Armenia' party, the police forcibly broke down the door of the Alaverdi City Hall's meeting room, preventing Mayor Arkadi Tamazyan from entering.

It's significant to mention that in the results of the municipal elections held on September 25, 2022, both the ruling party and the 'Living Armenia' party were granted an equal number of 13 mandates, with one additional mandate given to the 'Armenian National Congress.' A coalition was formed between 'Living Armenia' and the ANC. Later, council member Simon Zakharov left the 'Living Armenia' faction and became an independent member.