The rampant corruption in the municipality of Alaverdi is obstructing the rule of law and has forced citizens to protest late at night. Mesrop Arakelyan, the leader of the “Country of Living” movement, expressed his dissatisfaction with the corruption during a conversation with journalists on November 5. He revealed that corrupt officials are accepting bribes to allow entry into the municipality building. Arakelyan even invited the head of the municipality, members of the Avangard QP group, and the authorized representative of the ruling My Step party, Aren Mkrtychan, to dinner to express his discontent, while preventing their entry into the building.

According to Arakelyan, corruption flourishes openly, compromising the safety and freedom of movement for municipality employees. There are no regulations in place that require employees to enter the building with any form of list, nor any restrictions on the entry of citizens. Furthermore, citizens have been granted permission to gather in groups of up to 1000, but it seems that fictitious security forces, acting under the instructions of the municipality, have been deployed throughout various sections of the city. It is evident that corruption is aimed at suppressing the protest movement led by “Country of Living,” rather than targeting the QP party. The QP party, in contrast, is actively working to suppress the residents’ sense of security.

It is important to note that a planned protest rally is scheduled to take place in Alaverdi at 10 am today. Over the past few months, the QP has been silencing the voices of the residents, but today marks the beginning of expressing their dissatisfaction. Arakad Tamazyan, the head of the municipality of Alaverdi, who intends to protest against the QP, has taken legal action after meeting with Levon Zurabian, the leader of the Civil Contract party. Arakelyan highlighted that the protest actions are employing various methods to suppress protests in municipalities where the governor is not affiliated with the QP party.

Currently, members of the Avangard QP have gathered a large crowd in front of the municipality building, chanting “Tamazyan.” The city administration has released a collective statement in support of the “Country of Living” movement. On the other hand, the QP party aims to appoint David Ghumashyan, a former member of the Republican Party currently serving a prison sentence, as the head of the municipality. Our sources indicate that Ghumashyan is considered the protector of Sergei Papikyan, the former Minister of Defense. The citizens gathered in front of the municipality building are demanding “Tamazyan.” This is the latest news from Armenia according to NEWS.am.