This will be found out on July 1.
The recurrent elections for Ararat mayor will be held on July 1, where 6 candidates will participate. But one of the candidates, Grigor Avetisyan, told us yesterday that he was going to withdraw his candidacy and wouldn\’t call to vote for any other candidate. It was informed that Grigor Avetisyan was ARF member, but he denied saying that he was non-partisan. Another candidate, deputy chief of industrial-pedagogical institute of Ararat Hayk Haykyan was also represented as the ARF member. But he informed that he had simply supported the ARF. We had been informed that he had been PPA, then OEP and ARF members. But Hayk Haykyan elucidated that he had assisted Karen Demirchyan, then OEP, but he hadn\’t been the member of those parties. He refused to answer other questions.
“Do you believe in it?” – another candidate Gagik Gasparyan answered about Hayk Haykyan\’s non-partisanship. Gagik Gasparyan has led Ararat from 1991-2001. It is spoken that “Dashinq\’ was supporting his candidacy but Mr. Gasparyan informed that he was not only non partisan but he hasn\’t also turned to any force to support him: “I have always been independent”. Gagik Gasparyan\’s pre-electoral headquarters was locked yesterday.
Karen Khachatryan, the head of primary organization of Ararat for “Prosperous Armenia” Party has also nominated his candidacy. This 33 years old young man has a rich experience, and has already worked for 7 years in the sphere of Military Police, and as he has noted: “I have had different contacts with the representatives of different political forces”. His competitors comment those contacts in this way that Karen Khachatryan has ben the member of “Republican” Party, then RPA, OEP, ARF member, then became the PAP member. “I have been Republican for 15 days,- Karen Khachatryan told us, denying other gossips about his partisanship. I haven\’t even been the RPA member, it has simply been a co-operation.
Another candidate, the chief of “Ararat” electric network is Abraham Babayan. He withdrew his candidacy in 2004, and in our question whether he would act in this way, he answered: “No, this time I\’ll go up to the end”. He will launch his propaganda just from today. In answer to the question, how is his victory possible for him, he said: “I have never underestimated my competitors. And I\’ll congratulate, whoever is elected. But it is still soon to give remarks. I simply want to come to work worrying about the future of the country. Ararat must simply have its owner and reconstructed, as it seems that the 21st century hasn\’t come to this city yet.