: RPA on the situation in Gyumri

ArmInfo. The Republican Party of  Armenia, led by the third president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, does  not consider it correct to influence and direct Martun Grigoryan's  decisions in the Gyumri mayoral elections. This was stated by RPA  deputy (NA faction <I Have Honor>) Tigran Abrahamyan in an interview  with <Azatutyun>.

According to him, although Martun Grigoryan is, a member of their  faction, he  is non-partisan, and in the Gyumri elections the force  led by Serzh Sargsyan neither nominated him nor supported him. In  other words, the RPA has not influenced Grigoryan's decisions at any  stage, and now, according to Abrahamyan, Martun Grigoryan's decision  to support Vardan Ghukasyan or not does not depend on the position of  the <Republican>.

In any case, the Republican Party of Armenia has conveyed its point  of view to its partner. Although the party does not make it public,  as Abrahamyan notes, they are convinced that  Nikol Pashinyan's  reinstatement  in Gyumri should not be allowed.  <From a purely human  perspective, we also understand the thoughts and concerns that Martun  Grigoryan has in the context of the aura created in Gyumri, the  mentality and the problems he had with Vardan Ghukasyan for those  decades, but, naturally, as a political force, we consider this topic  exclusively from a political point of view. Naturally, in the context  of solutions or breakthroughs, political decisions come first, which  should stem from the logic of not allowing the reproduction of this  government or its acquisition of additional power in any way,> he  said. When asked whether his position is that in any case the CP  candidate  should not be allowed to become  mayor in Gyumri, Tigran  Abrahamyan replied: "This is clear, that is unequivocal, and Martun  Grigoryan also clearly states that under no circumstances can there  be a step on his part that could lead to the formation of a CP  government."

The fact that the leader of the Our City bloc Martun Grigoryan,  putting aside the dcades-long conflict with Vardan Ghukasyan, should  nevertheless support the former mayor was also written on his  Facebook page by the deputy chairman of the RPA, Armen Ashotyan,  urging  him to give preference to, as he put it, "the lesser of two  evils" when choosing between Pashinyan and Vardan Ghukasyan.  "Dear  Martun, the English say that they choose neither of two evils." "We  are not England, and all other problems pale in comparison to Nikol's  rule, so choosing the lesser of two evils, in my opinion, has no  alternative," he wrote.

"Armen Ashotyan has the status of first deputy chairman in the party,  and his political thoughts, naturally, are neither accidental nor can  they be of a private nature. Therefore, Armen's words should be  approached from the point of view of a person representing the  leadership of the party," Abrahamyan noted.  The secretary of the "I  Have Honor" faction notes that an attempt is being made through  Martun Grigoryan to target the Republican Party, and, according to  the deputy, this is also being done by opposition circles.  The  Republican deputy does not rule out that some circles want Grigoryan  to ultimately not support and elect Vardan Ghukasyan as mayor in  order to attack the force led by Serzh Sargsyan. Martun Grigoryan,  the leader of the "Our City" bloc, which received 6 seats in the  Gyumri Council of Elders, has been keeping the intrigue  for the  fourth day and has not said whether he will ultimately support Vardan  Ghukasyan, who has 8 seats. Without the votes of Martun Grigoryan's  bloc, Vardan Ghukasyan, who heads the Communist Party list, cannot  return to the city hall. His votes and the votes of the other two  opposition forces supporting him are not enough. The "Civil Contract"  led by Sarik Minasyan received 14 seats, meaning that he is only 3  votes short of being elected mayor of Gyumri. The council elects the  mayor by secret ballot, and it is not yet clear how events will  develop.