Civilnet
By Lia Avagyan
Election observers have reported violations of financial transparency rules ahead of the November 16 municipal elections in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin).
According to the “Akanates” (“Witness”) observation mission, Armenia’s Corruption Prevention Commission (CPC) failed to publish mandatory financial disclosures of political parties participating in the elections. Under the Electoral Code, the CPC was required to release summaries of party bank account balances, income, and expenditures on October 20 and 23. The commission has not done so, explaining to observers that commercial banks had not submitted the required data.
Separately, the “Union of Informed Citizens” NGO reported possible cases of vote-buying and misuse of administrative resources by the ruling Civil Contract party. The group said that on October 21, a charitable event was held in the village of Doghs with the participation of several Civil Contract candidates, during which gifts were distributed to local residents. The NGO said the event may constitute a criminal offense under Armenia’s electoral and criminal laws prohibiting the distribution of goods or money to voters during the campaign period.
The organization also documented the involvement of municipal employees in campaign activities during working hours, reportedly using community equipment. It said these actions may amount to abuse of administrative resources and has filed a formal complaint with the Prosecutor General’s Office, while also preparing to petition the Central Electoral Commission to open administrative proceedings.
The Vagharshapat city council elections will feature eight political forces, including the ruling Civil Contract party, Homeland Party, Victory Alliance (comprising the Forward and ARF Dashnaktsutyun parties), Free Democrats, Mother Armenia, Heritage, Republic, and Pan-Armenian Front parties.
The mayor’s seat in Vagharshapat has remained vacant since May, when former mayor Diana Grigoryan resigned following corruption-related revelations.
Vagharshapat is the fourth largest city in Armenia with a population of about 50,000. It is also the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Ahead of the June 2026 parliamentary elections, these are the most significant local polls in the country.
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