The mayoral elections in Abovyan reaffirmed democracy’s victory in Armenia, allowing a candidate with no affiliation with the governing political force to be re-elected to his office, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said today, offering his congratulations to the re-elected mayor of the city.
“These elections came to affirm, yet another time, that Armenia is a real democratic country, where the citizens have the right to make their
choice without any illegitimate resource being used by the authorities’ to secure their own candidate’s success. A government of the people has been now established in Armenia,” he told reporters.
The Sunday local government elections in Anovyan saw the incumbent mayor, Vahagn Gevorgyan, lead the polls with 8,453 votes, leaving behind his contender from Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party by 395 votes.
Asked about the possible impact on the governing party’s reputation, Pashinyan said he treats the outcome as an absolutely normal process. ”This is why we actually staged the ‘[Velvet] Revolution’, i.e. – to make it possible for candidates of the ruling [political force] to be winners or losers at times,” he added.