Pre-election silence observed in Armenia's Gyumri and Parakar

Armenia began observing pre-election silence on Saturday ahead of the snap municipal elections in Gyumri and Parakar.

In Gyumri, nine political forces, including six parties and three blocs, are vying for the mayoral seat. According to the Interior Ministry, as of March 22, there are 111,236 eligible voters, with 82 polling stations set up. In the 2021 elections, there were 109,453 registered voters, of whom 26,468 cast their ballots.

The campaign, which began on March 15, was marked by tensions. Law enforcement officers raided opposition campaign offices, including those of the Our City and Mother Armenia alliances, as well as the home of Gyumri mayoral candidate Martun Grigoryan. Several team members, including Grigoryan’s father and son, were arrested but later released under court-imposed supervision. Their lawyers plan to appeal the ruling.

Observers also reported abuse of administrative resources by ruling Civil Contract party candidate Sarik Minasyan, claiming that public sector employees were mobilized for his campaign rallies in violation of election laws.

In Parakar, four political forces are vying for the municipal council seats. The town has 20,967 eligible voters and 16 polling stations.

The elections will be monitored by 347 observers from five NGOs, with Hayakve, the largest mission, deploying 186 observers. Additionally, 38 media outlets have registered around 300 journalists, cameramen and photographers to cover the elections.

Under Armenian electoral law, all campaigning is prohibited on March 29-30 ahead of the vote.