Yerevan: From “Union” to Independence

Since 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yerevan has been the capital of independent Armenia. But achieving independence was very difficult. Armenia was severed from all connections to the former union’s economic system. In November 1991, the gas pipeline from Georgia was shut down, and in December of the same year, due to the fuel and energy crisis, nearly all of the country’s enterprises and educational institutions, including those in Yerevan, stopped working. The railway link between the capital and other regions was also disrupted, while the city’s telephone network experienced sporadic functionality.

The residents of the capital endured various challenges, such as heating their apartments, finding food, and moving around the city (mostly on foot), on their own.

From 1990 to 1992, the Chair of the Yerevan Political Council was historian Hambardzum Galstyan. He was a member of the Karabakh Committee and was also a senior researcher at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

On November 1, 1990, the Executive Committee of the Yerevan Political Council made the decision to rename Lenin Square in the capital to Republic Square, Lenin Avenue to Mashtots Avenue, and Red Army Street to Grigor Lusavorich. In April 1992, 27 streets were also given new names, and schools underwent the renaming process as well. This initiative served as a significant  message to the residents of Yerevan, symbolizing the transition to a sovereign and free state.

However, the residents of the capital expected a clearer solution to their problems from the city authorities.

“Mr. Galstyan, you are certainly aware that in the late evenings, the street lighting in the city, under your benevolent management, is turned off, plunging Yerevan into darkness. Don’t rush to justify this with the energy crisis. Mr. Mayor, can you, who no longer walks on foot, imagine the situation of those people who have to fumble around in the dark late at night? I am convinced that you are well aware of the criminal situation in the capital. Aren’t you worried that in the absence of police patrols, these criminal elements become the rulers of the city? They carry out their immoral activities with impunity and brazenness in the dark. Shootings and gun fights have become commonplace, terrorizing women, children, and everyone.”

Issue N.2, “Azdarar” newspaper, 1992.

In 1992, Hambardzum Galstyan resigned and started his own business. In 1994, he himself became a victim of a shooting incident when he was murdered by unknown assailants.

From 1992 to 1996, economist Vahagn Khachatryan served as the Mayor of Yerevan. He has been the President of Armenia since 2022, but with the surname Khachaturian.

This period coincided with the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. In 1993, the electricity supply to the capital was reduced, initially to eight hours, and then further reduced to four hours a day. Furthermore, these four hours often fell between two and six o’clock in the morning. During this time, households were busy with activities such as laundry, ironing, preparing dinner, and socializing with neighbors. 

According to Article 108 of Armenia’s 1995 Constitution, the City of Yerevan received the status of a region. The Mayor of Yerevan was appointed and dismissed by the country’s President based on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

In 1996, Yerevan’s budget was approved for the first time by the National Assembly.

“Yerevan’s budget is 3.1 billion AMD. For the first time in its history, the budget of Yerevan was approved by the National Assembly. Previously, the budget of the capital city was approved by the Yerevan Political Council, which has now resigned. Over half of the allocated budget, 1.5 billion AMD, is planned to be used for the improvement of the city. Specifically, 450 million AMD will be allocated for sanitization, 200 million AMD for landscaping, and 658 million AMD for the improvement of the city’s streets.”

Issue N.3, “Yerekoyan Yerevan” newspaper, 1996.

However, there was a need to regulate the governance of the capital  through legislation. On June 30, 1996, the National Assembly adopted the Law On Local Self-Government, which was followed by the Law On the Election of Local Self-Government Bodies.

According to Article 5 of the Law On Local Self-Government, local self-government bodies are elected in administrative districts for a period of three years. These bodies include the district councils and the district leader.

The purpose of restructuring the local government system was to define the powers and responsibilities of the Mayor of Yerevan, regional governors, and heads of administrative districts. The governors and the Mayor of Yerevan were tasked with implementing the government’s territorial policy. As per a decree by the president, they were given authority over finance, urban development, housing and communal economy, transportation and road construction, agriculture, education, healthcare, social security, culture and sports, as well as nature and environmental protection.

According to a Government Decision made on February 23, 1996, titled On Measures to Ensure the Dissolution of the Executive Committees of Deputy, Municipal and the City of Yerevan’s District Councils, the Executive Committee of the Yerevan Political Council was dissolved, and the Yerevan Municipality was born. It began its operations in March 1996.

In 1996, Ashot Mirzoyan became the Mayor of Yerevan for several months. Prior to that, in 1993, he held the position of Deputy Minister of Education, and in 1995, he was the Deputy Minister of Social Security.

In 1996 to 1998, Vano Siradeghyan took over as the Mayor, having previously served as the Minister of Internal Affairs. The residents of Yerevan believed that Siradeghyan, who had experience leading the internal affairs system, would be able to address the city’s criminal atmosphere. During his term, the position of chief designer was introduced to the Yerevan Municipality. He also removed the statue of The Worker, which was seen as a symbol of the Soviet system. Siradeghyan resigned from his role of mayor in 1998, prior to the resignation of President Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

By 1999, an investigation was launched against Vano Siradeghyan. According to a statement by the Prosecutor General’s Office, sufficient evidence was obtained during a preliminary investigation which found that during the years Siradeghyan served as the Minister of Internal Affairs, he organized an armed criminal group, instructing them to carry out attacks on individual citizens and officials. Until his death in 2021, he remained an international fugitive, and his whereabouts were unknown.

On May 6, 1997, the Presidential Decrees On State Administration in the Regions (Marzes) of the Republic of Armenia and On State Administration in the City of Yerevan were adopted.

On May 6, 1998, Major General Suren Abrahamyan was appointed as Mayor of Yerevan by the Decree of President Robert Kocharyan. Before that, he had served as the Governor of Syunik. He held the position of Mayor of Yerevan until May 15, 1999,  and then went on to become the Minister of Internal Affairs.

On August 9, 1999, Albert Bazeyan was appointed Mayor by a Presidential Decree. Prior to this, he served as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. Bazeyan held the position of Mayor until January 10, 2001. He resigned from his position after Robert Kocharyan remarked that the Yerevan Municipality was “sitting on money while complaining about the lack of money.”

Bazeyan was replaced by Robert Nazaryan, who served as Mayor from 2001 to 2003. Prior to that, from 1997 to 2000, he held the position of Deputy Minister of Energy. From February to May 2000, he also served as the Minister of Transport and Communications.

“Working as a mayor is very difficult, and then it was especially difficult,” says Nazaryan about his tenure as mayor. “There was no budget, and we had a large debt burden. Teachers hadn’t received their salaries for about eight months. When I was appointed mayor, they even turned off the electricity to a building because of debt.”

Robert Nazaryan was charged in 2020 for engaging in activities that posed a public danger. In 2011, he misused his official powers for personal and group interests, granting privileges to a specific business entity.

Meanwhile, on May 7, 2002, the National Assembly adopted the Law On Local Self-Government. This law recognizes the administrative district as a local self-governing body. As a result, the district is treated as a legal entity, with the following characteristics defined by this law: independent management of its property, possession of a budget, and a seal bearing its own coat of arms or that of the Republic of Armenia.

The Yerevan Municipality is responsible for implementing the government’s territorial policy within the city. This is overseen by the Yerevan Mayor.

From July 2, 2003 to March 2009, Yervand Zakharyan held the position of Mayor of Yerevan  as appointed by Presidential Decree. Prior to that, he had an impressive career, serving as Minister of Transport and Communications, Minister of State Revenue, Head of the State Tax Service, and finally, Mayor of Yerevan.

During his tenure, the Northern Avenue-Cascade Project was implemented. This project raised questions about the property rights of more than 3,000 residents in Yerevan’s downtown, with some receiving insufficient compensation.

The Special Investigation Service provides a more comprehensive account of Mayor Zakharyan’s activities. According to them, in 2008, Mayor Zakharyan made an illegal decision to expropriate 10,000 square meters of land in Victory Park. In 2023, a new criminal case was initiated in connection with this fact. In 2023, a new criminal case was launched against Zakharyan. The Prosecutor General’s Office also reports that the land leased to the Youth Palace was expropriated for about 4.4 billion AMD less than its market value.

On December 26, 2008, the National Assembly passed the Law On Local Self-Government for the city of Yerevan. This law defines various aspects of Yerevan’s local self-governance, including territorial administration, local self-government bodies, council of elders, mayor, budget, development programs, administrative districts, their heads, administrative control, and more. 

The local self-government bodies in Yerevan consist of the Yerevan Council of Elders and the Yerevan Mayor.

The Council of Elders has the authority to decide where it conducts its activities and holds its sessions. The Ministry of Territorial Administration is responsible for the territorial administration of Yerevan. The government can transfer certain functions of territorial administration in Yerevan to other state bodies of executive power. According to the law, the Council of Elders is the highest body of local self-government in Yerevan, and oversees the mayor’s activities. The mayor, in turn, has independent powers granted by the Constitution and laws to act in the best interest of Yerevan. The law defines the authority, structure, election procedure of the Council of Elders. The third chapter of the law focuses on the mayor’s activities, while the fourth chapter covers Yerevan’s budget and development plans.

On February 19, 2009, the government decided that May 31 would be the election day for the Yerevan Council of Elders. Several political parties participated in the election, including Prosperous Armenia, Armenian Populist Party, Armenian National Congress Alliance, Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Labor-Socialist Party of Armenia, Republican Party of Armenia, and Land of Law.

According to the Central Electoral Commission, the Republican Party received 47.93% of the votes, surpassing the minimum threshold and winning 35 seats. Prosperous Armenia received 22.71% of the vote, earning 17 seats, while the Armenian National Congress obtained 17.41% and secured 13 seats. As a result, on June 8, 2009, during the first session of the Council of Elders, the 65 councilors with the most seats from the Republican Party elected Gagik Beglaryan, the number one candidate on their list, as Yerevan’s Mayor.

On June 11, 2009, Mayor Gagik Beglaryan was sworn in for the first time at Yerevan City Hall amid great fanfare.

It has become evident that the main focus on the activities of the mayors of Yerevan has been the criminal cases filed against them. Gagik Beglaryan is no exception. Since 2020, he has been accused of embezzling a kindergarten building worth 230 million AMD. In addition, he faces 27 other charges, including embezzlement of significant amounts of property, misuse of his official position, and money laundering. Furthermore, he is now facing an additional charge for illegally acquiring more than 20 properties while serving  as the Head of the Kentron Administrative District and later as the mayor of Yerevan.

Beglaryan served as Mayor until December 8, 2010, after which he resigned. He resigned because he had assaulted an employee of President Serzh Sargsyan’s protocol department during world-famous tenor Plácido Domingo’s Yerevan concert. 

On December 17, 2010, Karen Karapetyan, the director of Hayrusgazprom (now Gazprom Armenia), was elected as the Mayor of Yerevan by the Yerevan Council of Elders. During his inaugural ceremony, Karapetyan promised: “I am committed to protecting the community’s rights, legal interests, and property, supporting the faith of the people with my unwavering dedication, contributing to their material and spiritual growth, and being a supporter of every honest initiative aimed at realizing the cherished ideas of my fellow citizens.” 

Less than a year into his tenure, however, he resigned due to other employment and personal reasons.

Following Karapetyan’s resignation, on November 15, 2011, the Yerevan Council of Elders unanimously elected Taron Margaryan as the 54th Mayor of Yerevan. Prior to his election, Margaryan served as a member of the Council, Deputy Mayor, and led the Avan Administrative District in 2005-2009. He is also the son of Andranik Margaryan, who served as Prime Minister of Armenia from 2000-2007.

The next elections of the Yerevan Council of Elders took place on May 5, 2013. Seven political parties participated in these elections: Mission, Republican Party of Armenia, Prosperous Armenia, Armenian National Congress Alliance, Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Rule of Law, and Hello, Yerevan Alliance. The ruling Republican Party emerged as the winner, receiving 255,513 votes and securing 42 seats. Prosperous Armenia won 17 seats, while the Hello, Yerevan Alliance came in third with six seats. Taron Margaryan was re-elected mayor of Yerevan.

On May 14, 2017, new elections were held for the Yerevan Council of Elders. Three political forces participated in these elections: the Republican Party, Yelk Alliance, and Yerkir Tsirani. The Republican Party received 240,036 votes, accounting for 71.25% of the total votes and won 46 seats. Yelk received 70,731 votes, representing 21% of the votes, and won 14 seats. The Yerkir Tsiran Party received 26,109 votes, accounting for 7.75% of the votes, and won five seats. Taron Margaryan was re-elected as mayor for the third time.

In 2018, the nationwide protest and rejection of the previous regime also reached the Yerevan Municipality. On July 9, 2018, Mayor Taron Margaryan announced his resignation.

Based on the resignation of the Mayor of Yerevan on July 12, 2018, and in accordance with the Law On Local Self-Government in the City of Yerevan, Acting First Deputy Mayor Kamo Areyan presented a draft decision to the Yerevan City Council of Elders. The draft decision aimed to set a date for the extraordinary mayoral elections on July 16, 2018. However, the Council of Elders could not hold the extraordinary session that day due to a lack of quorum. Only five of the 65 council members were present.

According to current regulations, in such cases, the dissolution of the Council of Elders and the appointment of new elections are implemented. Accordingly, the extraordinary election of the Council of Elders and new mayors of the city of Yerevan was planned to be held on September 23, 2018. In these elections, 12 political forces participated: four political alliances and eight political parties.

The My Step and Luys alliances, as well as Prosperous Armenia, were included in the new Yerevan Council of Elders. According to Article 44 of the Law On Local Government in Yerevan City, Hayk Marutyan, who topped the My Step Alliance’s list, was automatically considered the elected mayor. As a result, director and actor Hayk Marutyan became the 55th mayor of Yerevan. 

However, three years later, relations between Marutyan and the political elite, in particular Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, worsened. An article was published in Haykakan Zhamanak, a daily newspaper owned by Pashinyan’s family, accusing Hayk Marutyan of having connections with former President Robert Kocharyan.

In December 2021, the Yerevan Council of Elders presented a vote of no confidence in Marutyan. On December 22, he resigned.

In 2021, the Yerevan Council of Elders elected Hrachya Sargsyan as Mayor. Prior to his election, Sargsyan served as the Deputy Mayor.  In 2022, the Civil Contract Party announced its intention to nominate Tigran Avinyan for the 2023 City Council Elections.

Meanwhile, Hrachya Sargsyan stated that he is not against appointing Avinyan as Deputy Mayor if Avinyan agrees.

On March 17, 2023, Hrachya Sargsyan submitted his resignation as Mayor, providing  the following justification: “Now that the council elections are near and the cooperation between the government and the municipality is good, I want to announce my resignation. I will continue to be with the political team.” By August 3, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense.

On September 17, 2023, Yerevan residents went to the polls to elect a new mayor and Council of Elders.

Thirteen parties and one alliance participated in the elections. Those parties are The European Party of Armenia, Democratic Consolidation, Civil Contract, For Social Justice, Power Country, Public Voice, National Progress, Victory, The Country to Live, Republic, United Armenia, Fair Armenia, Bright Armenia political parties and the Mother Armenia alliance, which is composed of Yerkir Tsirani and Intellectual Armenia political parties.

On October 10, 2023, Tigran Avinyan, the mayoral candidate of the Civil Contract Party, was elected Mayor by a vote of 32 in favor and five against. Besides his own party, which has 24 seats out of a total of 65, his candidacy was supported by the Republic Party with its eight members. The two do not have a majority in the council, but the Public Voice Party, led by the controversial blogger Vardan Ghukasyan (nicknamed Dog) whose five members voted against him, enabled his election by securing a quorum. It was boycotted by two opposition parties: Hayk Marutyan’s National Progress Party and the Mother Armenia Alliance affiliated with the parliamentary opposition Armenia Alliance.

Yerevan has faced many hardships since gaining independence. On October 27, 1999, eight members of the country’s ruling elite, including the Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament, were shot in the National Assembly located in the heart of the city on Baghramyan Avenue. Then, on March 1, 2008, while dispersing demonstrators who were protesting the results of the presidential elections, ten people were killed in the streets of the city by security forces. However, the capital did not break. Yerevan is a vibrant, caring city where people respond to injustices and care for each other.

 Magazine Issue N32

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, where one third of the population lives today, has borne witness to sweeping social, political and economic changes for centuries. It is considered the pulse of the nation, where critical decisions on the future of the country are formulated, where promises are made and sometimes broken, a city that has hosted immigrants, emigres and tourists, an urban center where gentrification and rapidfire development threaten its relationship with its residents, when a municipal election becomes more about national issues, instead of urban needs and requirements. This month’s magazine issue entitled “The City” features articles that delve into the nuances of municipal elections, present the political forces running for city council and the history and lost stories of an ancient capital.

Magazine Issue N31