Elections were held on December 5, 2021 in Vanadzor, and the city has yet to confirm a community leader despite having an elected mayor, according to the “Ankakh Ditor” newspaper. This is due to the Lusavor Hayastan party’s request for the appointment of the head of the Vanadzor community to ensure the protection of its electoral rights. The administrative court made the decision (No. VD/13416/05/21) to appoint the community leader, which has been met with disappointment from voters who see it as interference in mayoral elections and a non-transparent abuse of local self-government.

The case was subsequently transferred to Judge H.A. Ghazaryan, who specializes in election proceedings, after Judge Ghazaryan’s position became vacant. However, the case was later transferred to Judge A. Ghazaryan, who is tasked with resolving election disputes in the administrative court, as stated in the official newspaper.

According to Article 64, Part 1.1 of the Law on Local Self-Government, the mayor’s session should take place within 10 days of the publication of the court decision. However, the deadline for the session and the participation of the mayor have been postponed due to articles 142.2 or 142.3 of the Municipal Code. These articles stipulate that if the session to approve the mayor’s powers is delayed, the municipality must continue to operate based on Analytical Acts regulations outlined in Article 39 of the Normative Act on the Procedure for Conducting Local Elections.

Despite the administrative court’s decision, the Vanadzor City Court rejected the appeal of the Lusavor Hayastan party regarding the election results of the Vanadzor mayor. The disappointed voter is currently challenging the final and unappealable decision of the City Court, which remains in effect until the dispute over the election results is resolved.

The appointment of the mayor does not require the mayor’s invitation, as it has been carried out in accordance with the law. The municipality is responsible for implementing the regulations in the resolution, which are based on the principles of analytical analytics and contradict the provisions of the Normative Acts.

Contrary to the decision of the Vanadzor City Court, the mayor’s invitation was not extended, the mayor of the community was not elected, and the municipality did not postpone the mayor’s powers. The rights and obligations of the mayor have been suspended within the specified deadline as outlined in the Municipality Administration and Legal Acts, which contradict the principles of Normative acts.

The local self-government bodies have the power to temporarily suspend or revoke any action if it violates the law. However, in response to the violation of the rights of the disappointed voter, it is clear that the actions of the administration and the municipality severely infringe upon the voter’s rights by excluding them from the election process and denying their constitutional right to participate in public administration.

The position of the local population, as expressed by the “Ankakh Ditor” newspaper, is that the appointment of the head of the Vanadzor community should be conducted in line with the principles of local self-government. They believe that the current interference by political forces and the local administration undermines the credibility of the electoral process and poses a threat to the democratic functioning of the municipality.

Source: Ankakh Ditor

Local News – NEWS.am