The vote count in Gyumri has concluded, with opposition forces securing 50.36% of the vote, according to preliminary results. The ruling Civil Contract party received 36.39%, signaling a significant shift in local political dynamics. The city council seat distribution is as follows:

  • Civil Contract (Sarik Minasyan) – 14 seats
  • Armenian Communist Party (Vardan Ghukasyan) – 8 seats
  • Our City Alliance (Martun Grigoryan) – 6 seats
  • My Strong Community (Ruben Mkhitaryan) – 3 seats
  • Mother Armenia Alliance (Karen Simonyan) – 2 seats

With no party holding an outright majority, coalition-building is underway. Martun Grigoryan, leader of the “Our City” alliance, has ruled out any cooperation with Civil Contract, stating, “Civil Contract will not have a mayor in this city. That’s final.” Grigoryan has thrown his faction’s support behind Vardan Ghukasyan of the Armenian Communist Party, despite their longstanding rivalry. Ghukasyan’s bid for mayor is gaining momentum, with backing from both the Mother Armenia and My Strong Community factions.

Voter engagement was high, with 47,454 citizens casting ballots, accounting for 42.66% of eligible voters—significantly higher than in previous elections. However, the election process was marred by controversy, including a power outage that affected a section of the city during the vote count and several detentions of opposition candidates and elderly residents.

In other electoral news, Valodya Grigoryan of the Miasnutyun alliance secured victory in the Parakar elections, defeating Civil Contract with 57% of the vote.

The March 30 Gyumri municipal elections also saw the election of five candidates to the city’s Council of Elders:

  • Sarik Minasyan (Civil Contract)
  • Vardan Ghukasyan (Armenian Communist Party)
  • Martun Grigoryan (Our City)
  • Ruben Mkhitaryan (My Strong Community)
  • Karen Simonyan (Mother Armenia)

Candidates who did not secure seats were Karen Malkhasyan (Living Country), Levon Barseghyan (European Alliance), Artem Tumanyan (Workers’ Socialist Party), and Artem Gharaghazaryan (Democratic Alternative).

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has initiated 10 criminal cases related to breaches of voting secrecy, interference with voter rights, and other violations during the elections.

The opposition “Armenia” alliance issued a statement criticizing the government’s use of administrative resources and repressive tactics. The alliance congratulated the Miatsutyun alliance for their victory in Parakar and expressed hope for a similar outcome in Gyumri.