Opposition MP: Armenia's ruling party struggling to accept Gyumri election loss

Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party is struggling to accept its defeat in the Gyumri municipal elections and spent the past six to seven months targeting the city’s mayor and his supporters, opposition MP Mher Melkonyan claims.

His comments came after law enforcement officers raided the Gyumri City Hall on Monday morning before the detention of its Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan and seven others on bribery charges.

Speaking outside the Gyumri City Hall, Melkonyan, a member of the opposition Hayastan faction, accused the ruling party of seeking to “seize control of Gyumri at any cost” and of planning similar moves in other opposition-led communities.

He claimed the Gyumri major had anticipated such a scenario and therefore insisted on appointing a deputy mayor from his team.