Country to Live party demands snap Yerevan municipal elections
The Country to Live (Aprelu Yerkir) party has demanded that the Armenian government hold snap elections to the Yerevan City Council, citing domestic laws.
Yerevan’s last mayor, Hrachya Sargsyan, stepped down on March 17. The municipal council controlled by the My Step faction has not elected a new mayor, arguing that only a few months remain before the next elections. The Armenian capital has since been effectively run by Tigran Avinyan, a deputy mayor and ruling Civil Contract party’s mayoral candidate.
“Under Armenian law, the government must cut down the tenure of the City Council and hold early elections,” the party leader, Mane Tandilyan, said in a statement on Thursday.
She claims the ruling team opposes snap Yerevan elections amid fears it will not win the vote due to “declining public trust in the government and disappointment.”
Tandilyan warns she will take the issue to court if snap elections are not held.
Elections to the Yerevan City Council are scheduled for this fall.