Voting begins in Vagharshapat municipal elections

Voting has begun in the Armenian enlarged community of Vagharshapat as residents elect a new municipal council following the resignation of its mayor earlier this year.

All 47 polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time and will operate until 8 p.m., the Central Electoral Commission said. A total of 69,866 people are eligible to vote in the town of Etchmiadzin and 18 surrounding villages. Electronic voter registration is being supported by 117 technical devices.

Eight parties and blocs are running in the elections, including Victory Alliance, Pan-Armenian Front Party, Republic Party, Mother Armenia National-Democratic Party, Free Democrats Party, Heritage Party, Civil Contract party and Homeland Party.

Thirty-one media outlets and six observer groups have been accredited to monitor the vote.

The Interior Ministry said measures were in place to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections. Mobile service centers are providing temporary documents or voter registry certificates to citizens with expired passports so they can cast their ballots.

The vote comes after Civil Contract Mayor Diana Gasparyan stepped down on 15 May following seven years in office. Gasparyan, her husband, councilor Aramayis Mirzoyan, and his parents are currently defendants in a criminal case into abuse of office and money laundering. The Anti-Corruption Committee says the investigation is ongoing.