Artur Vanetsyan claims Civil Contract has no chance of victory in Vagharshapat elections

Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsyan, a former head of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS), has expressed strong confidence in his party’s chances ahead of the November 16 Vagharshapat municipal elections.

Speaking to reporters during the official campaign launch on Wednesday, Vanetsyan highlighted his long-term goal of “freeing” the country from the current government and removing the ruling Civil Contract party from power. 

He claimed that the upcoming vote would demonstrate the ruling bloc’s waning influence in Vagharshapat, regardless of any use of administrative resources.

“We will fight with smiles, words and actions. No matter how much the authorities try to exploit administrative resources, they will achieve nothing. The Civil Contract party’s approval rating is already very low,” he said, adding that his team expects strong support from local residents.

Vanetsyan described the upcoming election as more than a local political contest, citing ongoing tensions between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“Etchmiadzin is our spiritual capital. A government engaged in a campaign against the church cannot gain power here,” he said.

The Homeland Party’s mayoral candidate is writer and publicist Khachik Manukyan. A total of eight political forces have joined the election race, with the Homeland Party listed as number 8 on the ballot.

The campaign runs from October 22 to November 14. Financial disclosures and candidate declarations will be published by the Central Election Commission by October 30, while election monitoring will be conducted by the Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center.