Sisian to Have a New Mayor: The Mayor of the CPP Resigns

The newspaper "Hraparak" reports: "The internal tensions in Sisian have not settled. Last week, we wrote that CPP MP Karen Hambardzumyan wants to remove Mayor Armen Hakobjanyan, as he is upset that the one he enabled to become mayor has begun to 'slip away from his control.' He intends to replace him with a more compliant figure, Deputy Mayor Karen Hovhannisyan, and for this purpose, the CPP council is boycotting council meetings.

The internal relations in Sisian have escalated to the point that the issue has reached the CPP administration, and a political decision has been made that Armen Hakobjanyan, First Deputy Karen Hovhannisyan, and Deputy Garik Hakobjyan will soon submit their resignations. Hakobjanyan and Hovhannisyan are also set to resign from their council mandates.

According to sources from the news outlet, the CPP has decided to appoint 34-year-old Hovsep Arakelyan as mayor. He is the nephew of the office secretary of the mayor's office, Karen Ivanian, and local residents are not in favor of his candidacy, saying that he only has experience as a courier and has distributed toilet paper and napkins, thus cannot lead a large community.

The council is more inclined towards the candidacy of the former head of the Gorayk community, Ashot Hakobjanyan.

Regarding the ongoing disagreements between the current mayor and Hambardzumyan, this reportedly stems from the mine owned by former mayor and current active participant of the Holy Movement, MP Arthur Sargsyan. The mayor has initiated public hearings for a mining operation permit, while Hambardzumyan has ordered an immediate rejection of this initiative. There are also rumors in Sisian regarding fuel-related issues, suggesting that Hambardzumyan was to gain some share but did not receive it."