Vardan Ghukasyan, a controversial former mayor under criminal investigation, has returned to power in Gyumri with the backing of opposition factions, despite finishing second in the vote. The ruling party boycotted the vote and warned of an impending political crisis. Hranoush Dermoyan looks at Ghukasyan’s murky past.
A native of Van in Ottoman Armenia, Aghasi Khanjyan arrived in the Armenian republic as a refugee. Attending Gevorgyan Seminary at Etchmiadzin, he was quickly drawn to revolutionary activity and soon became a member of the Bolshevik Party. By the early 1930s, Khanjyan had ascended to the post of Armenia’s First Secretary and became a popular leader known for encouraging a flexible policy toward Armenian national expression. His death at the hands of Georgian leader Lavrentii Beria in 1936 became a pivotal moment for Soviet Armenia during the years of the Stalinist repressions. The series is hosted by historian Pietro A. Shakarian and produced by Sona Nersesyan.
Born in Elizavetpol (today Ganja, Azerbaijan), Nersik Stepanyan was an Armenian Bolshevik activist and Party theoretician. A participant in the Russian Revolution in the Caucasus, Stepanyan later became known for his sensitive approach toward national cultures and traditions. A fearless public intellectual, he was also the most vocal critic of Soviet Georgian leader Lavrentiy Beria within the Soviet Armenian political elite. Tragically, Stepanyan’s arrest by Beria’s men in the summer of 1936 set the stage for the Stalinist Purges in the republic. The series is hosted by historian Pietro A. Shakarian and produced by Sona Nersesyan.
On December 5, 2021, Armenia will be holding the most important municipal election in its 30 years since independence. This municipal race, and the two previous ones earlier in the autumn, serve as a kind of second round to provide greater insight into Armenia’s ever-changing political landscape.
Municipal elections will take place in Armenia throughout the fall and serve as an important indicator for the future direction of Armenian politics. Harout Manougian breaks it down.
With his specific brand of humor and wit, Narek Margaryan analyzes the April 2 parliamentary elections, putting into perspective the votes that each political party and bloc received from the electorate.
EVN Report’s mission is to empower Armenia, inspire the diaspora and inform the world through sound, credible and fact-based reporting and commentary. Our goal is to increase public trust in the media. EVN Report is the media arm of EVN News Foundation registered in the Republic of Armenia in 2017.
