Mayor and RPA head stands for fourth term

Municipal elections in Vanadzor will be held on October 19, with six familiar names on the ballots.

Mayor Samvel Darbinyan runs for a fourth term against five known businessmen who have not stood against him in previous elections. The mayor is backed by the powerful (and ruling) Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), of which he is local head.

Samvel Khalatyan, the press secretary of the mayor’s rival Edvard Khlghatyan explains his boss’s decision to run without an approval of his native (RPA) party: “That’s his constitutional right. It may be interpreted as a violation of the ethics, but there is nothing illegal,” he says.

However, the mayor does not speak of ousting Khlghatyan from the party, mentioning, they will show him a proper attitude in the future, instead.

So, two of the 6 candidates are RPA members competing with representatives of the Heritage Party and the Armenian Progressive Communist Party. The remaining are non-partisan.

During the past 9 years the acting mayor of Vanadzor has been known for illegal trade and alienation deals as well as promoting his relatives and acquaintances to jobs in the enterprises of the town.

The declarations on property and the income submitted to the Election Commission of Constituency #30 show the mayor does not differ much in what constitutes his property from other candidates with an exception of the Heritage Party representative.

During the last fiscal year Darbinyan’s income is reported to be 4.5 million drams ($14,950) including his about 3 million dram ($9,966) annual salary and the dividends from the shares in two companies belonging to him.

The declaration states the mayor thrice elected for the position owns nothing but a private house and a car.

The second Republican candidate is the director of the Haypost CJSC Vanadzor office well known to the residents of Vanadzor.

Former member of the local council, Khlghatyan belonged to the close company of the former National Assembly member Vahram Baghdasaryan with their relations recently deteriorated.

In the recent years Khlghatyan’s relations with mayor Darbinyan also worsened: the tensions between his son and Darbinyan’s clan ended up in the son’s detention.

Khlghatyan’s declaration shows he owns numerous cars, despite the lack of garages for them, according to the statement.

The declaration on his property and incomes does not, however, list his ownership of a restaurant on the road to Dilijan.

According to the declarations, the best-off among the candidates is the representative of the Heritage Party.

Garnik Sahakyan, the oppositional candidate and simultaneously the head of the Heritage Party local office has declared both on his own and his wife’s property.

Sahakyan owns one of the pharmacies in the center of the town and also two private buildings. He also owns a car, a garage and significant incomes – 94 million drams ($312,292) during the last year in total.

The next well-to-do candidate after Sahakyan is known as “Komsi Seyran”, a local council member, widely known in the town.

Non-partisan Seyran Harutyunyan, who had made several attempts for council membership, was first elected to the body during the last election. He now contends the mayor’s position.

An owner of apartments, more than 2,000 square meters of land lots and food production enterprise, Harutyunyan also owns a jewelry shop in Vanadzor.

Also noticed for modesty in property are Senik Evinyan, former candidate for the position, and former member of the local council Gagik Ghazaryan. Gazharyan is the youngest candidate. He is 40 and is a professional sportsman.

Officially Vanadzor population is 105,000 with 94,089 eligible to vote.

Human rights advocate Artur Sakunts, whose organization has been observing also the local self-administration elections in the recent years, expects no qualitative changes.

“It will be like the previous times – with voter bribes, frauds and blackening,” Sakunts mentions.

He believes defending voters’ rights become harder and harder every next election.

Three years ago Darbinyan’s major rival was non-partisan businessman Gagik Hovsepyan, who questioned the results of the elections after mutual charges by appealing to the court. However, the court denied him, confirming Darbinyan’s victory.