Civilnet
By Alexander Pracht
Ten opposition figures were arrested on Tuesday in Vagharshapat, a city that held municipal elections last month, according to authorities. Among those detained were Khachik Galstyan, Secretary General of the opposition Motherland Party, and Movses Kartashyan, former deputy regional governor.
Investigators charged the detainees with vote buying in connection with the November municipal elections. No further details of the case were immediately disclosed.
Municipal elections in Vagharshapat, home to the Mother See of the Armenian Apostolic Church, were held on November 16. The ruling Civil Contract party won 48.6% of the vote, while united opposition coalitions failed to secure enough mandates to challenge its dominance in the city council. The contest was widely viewed as a key test of strength between the government and opposition ahead of nationwide elections scheduled for June.
The day after the vote, five opposition figures in the city were charged with vote buying but were not detained at the time.
Vagharshapat’s former mayor Diana Gasparyan, who led the city from 2018, is currently on trial on corruption and money laundering charges along with her husband and father-in-law.
The win in Vagharshapat was considered important for Civil Contract after it had been outnumbered in municipal elections in Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city, in April. Although the ruling party finished first there with roughly 37% of the vote, an opposition coalition secured a majority, ahead of the nationwide ballot.
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