Martun Grigoryan's Decision: Gyumri Will Have a New Mayor

Martun Grigoryan, the mayoral candidate from the "Our City" alliance, has made a statement regarding the upcoming leadership in Gyumri.

"Dear residents of Gyumri, thank you for your participation in the municipal council elections, for the warm and special reception over the past days, for supporting my team and choosing the 'Our City' alliance. You have witnessed what has happened and continues to happen among my family members and teammates. The authorities resorted to all impossible and possible means, manipulations, both legal and illegal actions, trying to put psychological pressure on me and arrest my team for criminal prosecution. And this continues to this day. But I will speak more about that later.

Dear Gyumretsi and compatriots, I know and understand that right now all of Gyumri and the republic are waiting anxiously for my decision, which will affect the future developments and sentiments in Gyumri and the country. Throughout my journey, I have proven that the common interest of our country, our city, and our people in Gyumri has always taken precedence over personal interests and approaches.

Today, I have made my decision, which has been the most difficult and weighty decision of my political career—one I have contemplated at great length and arrived at with considerable difficulty. During the campaign, I openly stated and was the only one who spoke about what would happen after the elections if Vardan Ghukasyan were elected as mayor. I maintain the belief that he is the most vulnerable candidate due to ongoing criminal cases against him. Remember this day well as to what will come next and how they will deal with that person. Will Gyumri be taken in the direction of Vanadzor, or not—it is my hope that I am mistaken.

Throughout this time, I have spoken directly or indirectly about these dangers and specifically warned the other candidates, particularly Ruben Mkrtchyan and Karen Simonian. Knowing this very well, these two teams hastily declared their support for the nominated candidate, creating an impossible situation for seeking alternative and less vulnerable options. According to my perspective, for example, we could have chosen either Ruben or Karen as mayor through a joint discussion and cooperation among our four candidates. It would have marked the actual start of the collapse of the entire governing system.

We have this situation because of their decisions, and it is not too late to talk about it. Dear Gyumretsi, especially the 7,400 of you who voted for me, you supported me based on the principle that the current government should not be re-elected in Gyumri, and we all participated in this struggle with that ideology. And we all reached this point together, for which I congratulate us all. The ruling party no longer has power in Gyumri.

Dear relatives, friends, teammates, Gyumretsis, you stood by me to prevent the return of past practices to the city. Knowing my principles and clearly defined red lines, which I have always opposed and thanks to my efforts, the city has been freed from all of that. However, now, due to the haste of these two teams and their decision, I am forced to make a decision that fundamentally goes against what we all believed in.

I apologize to all my voters, relatives, friends, and supporters, but I also confidently state that for the sake of our country, statehood, the interests and security of Gyumri and its people, I am subordinating my personal matters and approaches to this public necessity, and I am making this step based on the people's demand. I am convinced that you will understand and support my decision.

You have all realized that political forces working together, collaborating, cannot accomplish anything in Gyumri without a decision from me and the 'Our City' alliance, and everything going forward will depend on the votes of the 'Our City' alliance.

Thus, the 'Our City' alliance announces that it will provide the necessary votes to support the candidate Vardan Ghukasyan, backed by the other two forces, without any official position, expectation, or arrangements.

And from now on, all further responsibility regarding the future of the city, whether to give or not give power to the ruling party, will still fall on the three forces headed by Vardan Ghukasyan, yet you all know that I will not sit idle with my hands folded and will continue doing everything to ensure that the ruling party does not have a mayor in Gyumri.

Moreover, the 'Our City' alliance, together with the people of Gyumri, will do everything to ensure we live in the city we deserve.

Dear media, political figures, analysts, bloggers, political parties, lords, and servants, from now on, know well that Martun Grigoryan has made decisions independently throughout his life and without haste, and no political force is connected with or can influence the decisions I have made,” the statement reads.