Armenian mayor criticized over ruling party shirt at school graduation ceremony

The mayor of the Armenian town of Vayk has faced criticism after attending a school graduation ceremony wearing apparel associated with the ruling Civil Contract party, in what opposition figures described as a breach of election campaigning rules ahead of the parliamentary elections.

Photos circulated online and shared by opposition politician Edgar Ghazaryan appeared to show Vayk Mayor Mkhitar Matevosyan wearing a Civil Contract-branded T-shirt at a Last Bell ceremony.

Ghazaryan, a member of the opposition Strong Armenia party, said the incident amounted to “two violations at once”: political campaigning while performing official duties and campaigning inside an educational institution.

He also said that images from the event were posted on the Vayk Municipality’s official social media page, raising concerns over the use of administrative resources during the election period.

The controversy comes shortly after Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) reiterated that campaigning in educational institutions is prohibited under electoral rules ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections.