Deja Vu in Gyumri: Controversial Former Mayor Returns

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Vardan Ghukasyan, a former mayor and candidate from the Communist Party of Armenia, has been elected mayor of Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city. Although Ghukasyan secured second place with 20% of the vote, trailing behind the ruling Civil Contract party, he received 18 out of 33 city council votes with the backing of all opposition factions. His inauguration will take place on April 19.

The ruling Civil Contract party did not participate in the first session of the city council. Instead, the party’s mayoral candidate Sarik Minasyan called for a second round of elections in a Facebook post and announced that his faction will boycott the session. 

Minasyan also called on members of the City Council “who care about the future of Gyumri to vote according to their conscience, to reject the decision imposed on them through someone else’s calculations, and not to cast a shadow over Gyumri’s future.” Minasyan warned that under the current circumstances, “governing Gyumri is doomed to fail, and a crisis is inevitable.” 

Ghukasyan remains a highly controversial figure and is currently under investigation in multiple criminal cases.

His previous tenure (1999-2012) was marred by persistent allegations of corruption and abuse of power. During his time in office, Ghukasyan was accused of leading a powerful clan that dominated much of Gyumri’s economy, suppressing competition and consolidating control over key sectors. 

Currently, Ghukasyan is under investigation for the illegal appropriation of property, with a case launched in 2024. Criminal charges were also brought against him in 2022 for embezzling funds and illegally allocating property. It is alleged that he illegally allocated 15 plots of land in Gyumri, in addition to causing damage to a building considered a historical and cultural monument.

It was under Ghukasyan that American-Armenian entrepreneur and philanthropist Kirk Kerkorian and the Lincy Foundation launched a massive housing program in the earthquake affected regions of Armenia, the largest being in Gyumri. In 2004, Ghukasyan faced accusations of mishandling the housing allocations for residents left homeless by the 1988 earthquake. An internal investigation by the Kocharyan administration found that authorities failed to ensure transparency in the process and manipulated the lists of families entitled to free housing. However, neither the city nor regional authorities were later held accountable. 

In 2007, Ghukasyan survived a deadly shootout that claimed the lives of three of his bodyguards, while he and his deputy, Gagik Manukyan, were wounded. Shots were fired at his official vehicle and another accompanying car. The case has not been resolved to this day. 

In 2005, Ghukasyan was also involved in an incident where he fired at Russian soldiers in a cafe in Gyumri.

His son, Spartak Ghukasyan, has been involved in several criminal incidents as well. On May 20, 2007, Spartak was directly involved in a shootout in broad daylight. Two people were wounded in the incident. One week later, the body of a 12-year-old boy was found, believed to have been caught in the crossfire. Spartak was sentenced to 18 months in prison for provoking a street gunfight between two groups in Gyumri but was granted parole after six months. Spartak Ghukasyan was also involved in shootings in 2009 and 2012.

Throughout his career, Ghukasyan has aligned himself with various political regimes and parties. During the March 30 elections, he participated with the Communist Party, but in the early years of his office in Gyumri he was a strong supporter of Robert Kocharyan, then joined the Republican Party of Armenia, and later Gagik Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia Party. During the 2018 Velvet Revolution, Ghukasyan was seen publicly “rejecting Serzh Sargsyan”. 

Ghukasyan left politics in Gyumri in 2012 when he did not participate in the 2012 Gyumri mayoral elections, allegedly due to a falling out with the ruling Republican Party after failing to secure a victory for the party in Gyumri during the May parliamentary elections. 

It remains to be seen whether the Vanadzor scenario will be repeated in Gyumri. In 2021, Mamikon Aslanyan was detained on charges of abuse of power days after being elected as mayor. 

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On March 30, snap municipal elections were held in Gyumri triggered by the resignation of the ruling Balasanyan alliance in October 2024. Since October 2021, the Civil Contract and the Balasanyan alliance had governed Gyumri together, with a Balasanyan Alliance mayor and Civil Contract deputies. However, Civil Contract annulled their cooperation agreement in 2023, citing the need to end behind-the-scenes governance practices in the city. This decision marked the beginning of heightened political instability, culminating in the resignation of the mayor.

According to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), 47,443 people participated in the Gyumri municipal elections. Voter turnout was 42.6%. Based on results from 82 precincts, this is the breakdown of the votes:

• Civil Contract Party: 17,183 votes (36.21%)
• Communist Party of Armenia: 9,727 votes (20%)
• Mother Armenia Alliance: 2,902 votes (6.11%)
• Our City Alliance: 7,380 votes (15.5%)
• My Strong Community Party: 3,734 votes (7.9%)

The Country to Live party, the Armenian Workers’ Socialist Party, the Euro-Alliance bloc and the Democratic Alternative party did not pass the threshold.

The Gyumri City Council consists of 33 seats. To secure the election of their candidate, parties or alliances must secure the votes of at least 17 city council members. On April 6, the Central Electoral Commission summarized the final results of the elections. Based on the final distribution of seats, Civil Contract received 14 seats, the Communist Party received 8, the Our City Alliance received 6, the My Strong Community Alliance received 3, and the Mother Armenia alliance received 2 seats.

The day after the elections, two opposition figures—Ruben Mkhitaryan of the My Strong Community Party and Karen Simonyan of the Mother Armenia Alliance—publicly announced their support for opposition candidate Vardan Ghukasyan. Meanwhile, Martun Grigoryan of the Our City Alliance did not indicate whether he would back Ghukasyan for several days after the elections, only declaring his position on the evening of March 31, when he stated, “Gyumri will not have a Civil Contract mayor.” Ghukasyan had publicly expressed hope that Grigoryan would join forces with him, as his support was necessary to secure a majority. However, media reports pointed to a possible feud between the two, raising doubts about a potential alliance. 

On Friday, April 4, Grigoryan announced that he would support Ghukasyan by providing him with the seats needed to be elected mayor. Yet, his endorsement came with reservations. He voiced concerns that Ghukasyan might not be the best candidate for the opposition to rally behind.

“During the campaign, I openly stated—and I was the only one to do so—what could happen after the election if Vardan Ghukasyan were elected mayor,” Grigoryan wrote in a Facebook message. “I still believe he is the most vulnerable candidate due to the criminal case against him.” He cited the example of Vanadzor, where opposition figure Mamikon Aslanyan was elected mayor in 2021 but was unable to assume office due to criminal charges and subsequent detention.

Grigoryan added that since the other opposition forces in Gyumri had thrown their support behind Ghukasyan, he was left with little choice but to “make a decision that everyone has been fundamentally opposed to.” On April 14, Grigoryan rejected his city council mandate. 

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