Tag: nikol pashinyan

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of April 28: Azerbaijan installs checkpoint at the entrance of the Lachin Corridor in flagrant violation of the tripartite statement that ended the 2020 war; Azerbaijani eco-activists, who had been blocking the Corridor for 138 days, have temporarily suspend their protest; France’s Foreign Affairs Minister is in Armenia, says Baku must comply with the ICJ decision on the Lachin Corridor and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of April 21: Azerbaijani Armed Forces shell Armenian positions in Gegharkunik region; Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterates that Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, expects Baku to do the same; parents of the 15 soldiers killed in a fire in a military barracks block streets leading to the Government building and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of March 3: Despite the ICJ ruling ordering Azerbaijan to ensure free movement, the Lachin Corridor still remains blockaded; Azerbaijan violates the ceasefire in Artsakh three times; Germany’s Chancellor advocates for a peaceful resolution that respects the right to self-determination for the people of Artsakh and more.

The Tax Revenue Management Plan for 2022-2025 will encompass several alterations in Armenia’s taxation system. Arpine Simonyan presents the main types of taxes in Armenia, the planned changes and challenges taxpayers face.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of December 16: Artsakh continues to remain in a blockade after so-called Azerbaijani “environmental activists” shut down the Lachin Corridor; after international pressure, Azerbaijani authorities restore natural gas supply to Artsakh; Armenia’s parliament adopts bill on creating a Ministry of Internal Affairs and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of December 9: A group of Azerbaijanis in civilian clothes block only highway linking Armenia and Artsakh for several hours citing “illegal exploitation of minerals”; Armenia’s Parliament approves the Government’s 2023 budget and adopts number of new laws including the establishment of a Foreign Intelligence Service; airlines registered in Armenia to remain on the EU black list and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of December 2: Azerbaijani Armed Forces consistently violated the ceasefire with Armenia and Artsakh over this past week, injuring three Armenian servicemen; France’s parliament unanimously adopts a resolution supporting Armenia and calls for sanctions against Azerbaijan; Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov states that asking Moscow to reconfirm its offer regarding leaving the status of Nagorno-Karabakh to the future is not in the spirit of the negotiations.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of November 25: The CSTO Summit and Collective Security Council Session takes place in Yerevan; Armenia’s PM Nikol Pashinyan refuses to sign final CSTO document, says text does not include appropriate assessment of the September Azerbaijani attack against Armenia; Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue to violate ceasefire with Armenia and Artsakh on a daily basis and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of November 18: Azerbaijani Armed Forces violate the ceasefire several times in Armenia and Artsakh; France’s Senate adopts resolution calling on the French Government to sanction Azerbaijan for its aggression against Armenia and Artsakh; Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in Armenia taking part in the summit of the leaders of CSTO member states next week.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of November 11: Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in Washington, agree to expedite negotiations; Azerbaijani President makes egregious comments in Shushi triggering a retaliation by PM Nikol Pashinyan; the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention expresses grave concern regarding Aliyev’s speech; Russian President Vladimer Putin to visit Yerevan for the summit of CSTO leaders and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of October 28: The Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization holds extraordinary session about potentially providing assistance to Armenia; Russian President Vladimir Putin says Armenia has two options for settling the conflict; leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia to meet in Sochi on October 31 and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of October 21: OSCE Needs Assessment Mission expected to arrive in Armenia today; while in India for an official visit, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan meets his counterpart and takes part in DEFEXPO defense exhibition; while in Yerevan, Iran’s Foreign Minister reiterates Tehran’s stance that it will not accept any change of historical borders in the region, which he called a red line for Iran.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of October 14: The advance group of the European Civilian Monitoring Mission arrives in Yerevan; French President Emmanuel Macron accuses Russia of stoking the Armenia-Azerbaijani conflict as part of an effort to destabilize the South Caucasus; at the Summit of CIS leaders in Astana, PM Nikol Pashinyan says that the risk of a new aggression by Azerbaijan remains high while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says that if important points in the November 2020 ceasefire statement are not implemented, they will have no choice but to take “adequate action”.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of October 7: Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Prague; he also meets with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; the EU will send a civilian monitoring mission on the border of Armenia; 17 Armenian POWs are repatriated and more

Historian Suren Manukyan discusses the process, mechanisms and goals of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 30: Three Armenian servicemen killed after another attack by Azerbaijani Armed Forces this week; Prime Minister Nikol Pahsinyan meets with French President Emmanuel Macron; diplomats accredited in Armenia visit Gegharkunik region to assess damage to civilian infrastructure following Azerbaijani attack and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 23: After days of relative calm, Azerbaijani forces have started violating the ceasefire on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border; Armenia’s Prime Minister delivers speech at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly; Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives leads a congressional delegation to Armenia and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 9: Five Armenian POWs are repatriated following the Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Brussels; the new U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group is in Armenia; opposition forces announce that they will boycott parliament again; Starmus Festival kicks off in Yerevan and more.

If the EU is honest in its commitment to make peace possible in the South Caucasus, then it needs to address Baku’s ongoing anti-Armenian rhetoric and policy of creating permanent tensions on the borders to pressure Armenia for further concessions.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of September 2: The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in Brussels; former Artsakh Defense Army commander arrested for negligence and abuse of power; three people arrested in connection with the deadly Surmalu market blast and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of August 26: The villages of Aghavno, Berdzor, and Sus were handed to Azerbaijan; a temporary road linking Armenia to Artsakh to be used starting September 1; Pashinyan and Aliyev to meet in Brussels on August 31

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of July 29: Azerbaijani Armed Forces fire on villages in Artsakh, damaging a home in Karmir Shuka; jailed government critic Avetik Chalabyan is released from pre-trial detention; Turkey sets preconditions for normalization of relations with Armenia and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of July 22: Human Rights Watch criticizes new EU-Azerbaijan energy deal; CIA director in Yerevan as part of a regional visit to the South Caucasus; Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei announces that Iran will not tolerate efforts to block its border with Armenia and more.

In EVN report’s news roundup for the week of June 24: An Armenian soldier is shot dead by Azerbaijani Armed Forces in Armenia’s Gegharkunik region; Artur Vanetsyan, head of the Fatherland Party and leader of the “I Have Honor” bloc resigns his seat in parliament; while in Baku, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the OSCE Minsk Group ceased its activities because of the U.S. and France plus more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of June 10: While in Yerevan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that Armenia will control any transportation links between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan; a Government bill proposes subordinating the Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces to the Minister of Defense; an investigation has been launched following violent clashes between protesters and police in the country’s capital and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of April 29: the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia to meet in Dushanbe on May 13; ongoing opposition protests are calling for the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan; a number of former state officials issue statement on the critical situation in the country following the 2020 Artsakh War and more.

Over a year after Russian troops were deployed to Artsakh, here’s what we know about the Russian presence there, with the historical background for Moscow’s drive for boots on the ground in Artsakh.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of February 4: The ruling Civil Contract Party announces its candidate for the office of president; Azerbaijan rejects Armenia’s proposals on the demarcation and delimitation process; Azerbaijani culture minister says a working group will restore “Armenianized” Albanian temples, raising serious concerns yet again.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of January 21: Armenia’s Foreign Ministry denies that Armenia set preconditions for the demarcation of the border with Azerbaijan; the trial of former Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan kicks off; COVID numbers are on the rise again in Armenia and more.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of December 17: Armenia’s PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev meet in Brussels during the EU Eastern Partnership Summit; Armenia says it remains ready to launch the process of normalizing relations with Turkey without preconditions; Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan faces a vote of non-confidence from the My Step Alliance.

In EVN Report’s news roundup for the week of November 19: Azerbaijan launches a large-scale offensive on Armenia’s eastern border leading to intense battles; a Russian-brokered ceasefire comes into effect five hours later; one day before the Azerbaijani attack, PM Nikol Pashinyan sacks Defense Minister Arshak Karapetyan; the 29th Eurasian Intergovernmental Session of the Eurasian Economic Union kicks off in Yerevan and more.

Armenia's bid to pursue an independent and sovereign policy as a democracy was perceived to have a geopolitical context. The danger was in not seeing that reality, not evaluating it, and not recalculating domestic, foreign and security policy accordingly.

Controversy erupted after the Hayastan All Armenian Fund transferred 60% of funds donated during and after the war to the state budget. The absence of a complete audit almost a year since it was first proposed leaves donors still asking “where is the money?”

Gaidz Minassian delves into the turbulent spaces of history, memory and identity and deconstructs why the mother of all battles—the construction of a State on its sovereign pillars—was undermined.

Does the Armenian diaspora have a role in the process of state building? Tigran Yegavian presents a brief history of Armenia-Diaspora relations starting with Armenia’s independence and offers some insights to rectify the absence of an effective relationship.

On August 18, 2021, Armenia’s Prime Minister unveiled the Armenian Government’s 2021-2026 Programme and said that opening an era of peaceful development for Armenia and the region is their most important mission. EVN Report’s Maria Titizian speaks to political analyst Tigran Grigoryan who takes a closer look at the Programme’s vision for Artsakh, security and defense and foreign policy.

Developments after the 2020 Artsakh War reveal that Azerbaijan has no intention to work toward regional peace and stability. Together with Turkey, Baku aims to change the regional structure at the expense of Armenia’s security interests and needs.

Following the results of the June parliamentary election, which brought Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract back to power, all the ministerial posts have now been filled.

Following the early parliamentary election that saw the Civil Contract hold on to power, upcoming municipal elections will give opposition parties, including those with no seats in parliament, a shot at gaining footholds throughout the country.

July 5 marks Constitution Day in Armenia. Constitutional reform is still on the mind of the re-elected Prime Minister, whose approach to forming a constitutional package has so far greatly resembled that of his predecessors. But there are more participatory models that could be adopted.

Nikol Pashinyan renewed his parliamentary majority through Sunday’s June 20 early parliamentary election and will keep his position as Prime Minister of Armenia. Harout Manougian translates the election results into seats.

As Armenian citizens head to the polls to vote in an early parliamentary election today, the country is bracing itself for one of the most unpredictable election outcomes since independence. Live updates from Election Day.

A new poll casts the electorate as largely pessimistic about the candidates and largely undecided. The findings demonstrate that acting PM Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract would win the plurality of the votes but fall short of securing a single-party majority government.

As Armenian citizens prepare to head to the polls on June 20 in an early parliamentary election, here is how several political parties and alliances of parties envision education in their election programs.

Armenian citizens are heading to the polls on June 20 in an early parliamentary election. Over 20 parties and alliances of parties are running. Here is how some of those political forces envision Armenia’s healthcare.

Armenian citizens are heading to the polls on June 20 in an early parliamentary election. Over 20 parties and alliances of parties are running. Here is how some of those political forces envision Armenia’s economic development.

Armenian citizens are heading to the polls on June 20 in an early parliamentary election. Over 20 parties and alliances of parties are running. Here are the defense and security sections of the programs of seven of those political forces in order of their position on the ballot.

Armenians may be wary of going to the polls in the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, but democracy remains the only option on the ballot.

Nine days after Azerbaijani Armed Forces crossed into Armenian territory in the Syunik and Gegharkunik regions, the standoff continues. The absence of a resolution and the potential of a military confrontation has the people of Armenia on edge. Here is a timeline of events.

The early parliamentary election was officially triggered on May 10, 2021. Harout Manougian looks at the main possible scenarios for the outcome of the election, based on party rankings from recent poll results.

There have been numerous public accusations related to espionage and high treason since the start of the 2020 Artsakh War. Despite all the noise, only one case of high treason and one case of espionage were filed during and after the war.

Yerevan City elections will be held on May 14, 2017. Approximately 35 percent of the country's electorate resides in the capital city. EVN Report presents an overview of the three political forces taking part in this election.

Following months of protests, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced his formal resignation, triggering the process that is expected to lead to an early parliamentary election in June 2021. He will remain acting PM until then.

Although Nikol Pashinyan and Donald Trump are different in demeanor and policy, both lean heavily on the populist playbook. Each is more comfortable fighting against resistant forces rather than governing through institutions.

Armenia’s Government must quickly shape a coherent and powerful vision of what it wants to gain from the transport talks. If they get it wrong, the country is at risk of being outmaneuvered by Azerbaijan and taken advantage of by Russia.

Political efficacy has been replaced with a wave of voter alienation among a large percentage of Armenia’s electorate. With snap parliamentary elections set for June 20, these issues will be front and center.

Proposed changes to Armenia’s Electoral Code began in the summer of 2018. Almost three years later, the electoral reform bill has been sent to the Venice Commission for an expert opinion. Will the bill make its way into law before potential early elections, if at all?

Instead of playing semantics, PM Nikol Pashinyan should have taken responsibility for the war's disastrous outcome and resigned. A golden opportunity to push the democratic movement forward was squandered.

The demand for the Prime Minister’s resignation by the Army’s General Staff is a violation of the civilian-military doctrine that has served as an institutional and normative standard within Armenia’s state system and establishes a highly dangerous precedent.

Armenia’s top military brass called for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation on Thursday. Pashinyan considered it to be an attempt at a military coup and said that the era of leniency is over. A recap of the deepening political tensions in the country.

Several popular myths that had become deeply entrenched in Armenian society began collapsing after the war. Today, new myths are being constructed. Will Armenians risk fooling themselves into disingenuous politics and disastrous policy based on a set of new myths?

A concerted effort is needed to overcome the crisis the Armenian nation is facing. To do that, we need to understand where we are now, be honest, admit mistakes, learn lessons and move forward, writes Hovsep Kanadyan.

A coalition of 16 political parties and others have been demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan following the Russian-brokered trilateral agreement that ended the 2020 Artsakh War.

Instead of presenting a detailed plan to help guide the country toward a number of clearly-defined national goals, PM Nikol Pashinyan’s road map resembled a laundry list of necessary post-war actions to take to mitigate the fallout.

Following Armenia’s major military defeat in Artsakh, many people in the country, including a number of political forces, are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Such a move could trigger a number of different scenarios.

In the early morning hours of September 27, Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched an offensive along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact. We present a briefing of the situation.

The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute has become part of the current effort to destabilize the existing administration. This pan-national lieu de mémoire, has de facto been smeared by those who claim to protect “national values,” writes Dr. Stephan Astourian.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended the government’s plans to hold a Constitutional Referendum that sought to dismiss seven of the nine current judges of the Constitutional Court. Here’s what happened.

Christopher Atamian reviews two documentaries by two diasporan filmmakers about Armenia’s Velvet Revolution and writes that both deliver a somewhat hagiographic portrayal of Pashinyan and his supporters.

Artsakh voters will be heading to the polls on March 31. Incumbent President Bako Sahakyan is not seeking another term. Meet the political candidates vying for support and the political backdrop under which they are campaigning.

Armenia’s National Assembly voted to call a constitutional referendum yesterday, which, if passed, would dismiss seven of the nine judges currently sitting on the Constitutional Court.

Finding the proper tools to combat the spread of misinformation and fake news on social media networks has confounded many societies and governments. State-authorized action could threaten free speech.

The International Republican Institute recently published its fourth public opinion survey since the Velvet Revolution. The survey found that a healthy majority of Armenians believe the country is heading in the right direction.

Can the popularity of the National Security Service be sustained after the dismissal of Artur Vanetsyan? It can, but only through one mechanism: rigid institutionalization and the complete alleviation of the personalization of politics in Armenia.

While Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan’s trial continues, Sossi Tatikyan writes about the need to amend relevant provisions of the Constitution to delineate the distinct responsibilities of the army and internal security forces, and to ensure checks and balances when declaring a state of emergency.

Armenia is set to have a new National Security Strategy. The current strategy, adopted in January 2007, had all the necessary components, but was outdated and remained a largely superficial and declarative document as many of the defined values and principles were not fully respected or promoted.

Alen Shadunts writes that being democratic should not be a party ideology; democracy is a pre-existing bedrock condition, not an agenda for a particular government.

Armenia’s first post-Velvet Revolution parliament will hold its maiden session on January 14. Who are the men and women who will be serving the Armenian people as parliamentarians? EVN Report presents some interesting facts.

Armenia’s first post-Velvet Revolution parliament will hold its maiden session on January 14. Who are the men and women who will be serving the Armenian people as parliamentarians? EVN Report presents some interesting facts.

This is a film about the Velvet Revolution, which took place in April-May of 2018 in Armenia from the perspective of Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Nikol Pashinyan, the man who led the nationwide movement that drastically changed the country's political landscape. The film portrays the personal side of Pashinyan’s political life and career.

Was there just cause for the Velvet Revolution on substantive or procedural grounds? Dr. Simon Clarke applies a number of principles to the events that took place in Armenia earlier this year to determine whether the revolution was justified.

In the midst of a tremendous domestic transition, Armenia continues to navigate complicated global and regional relations and tensions, while also trying to maintain and strengthen relations with the European Union.

With snap parliamentary elections around the corner and if all indicators hold true, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civic Contract party remains poised to sweep the vote. The question that the prime minister will have to consider is whether he wants to rule or govern.

First Deputy Prime Minister Ararat Mirzoyan sat down with EVN Report to talk about the challenges facing the new government as they prepare, among other things, to introduce reforms to the Electoral Code, make amendments to the Constitution to pave the way to snap elections and the potential introduction of transitional justice to deal with the sheer volume of corruption cases.

Norik Gasparyan, a journalist from Tbilisi writes about the differences and similarities of two revolutions that took place 15 years apart in the South Caucasus: the Rose Revolution in Georgia and the Velvet Revolution in Armenia.

Armenia's post Velvet Revolution government came with the promise of snap elections, rooting out corruption and a new style of governance. A look at Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's and his government's first 100 days in office.

Armenia's post Velvet Revolution government came with the promise of snap elections, rooting out corruption and a new style of governance. A look at Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's and his government's first 100 days in office.

Nerses Kopalyan examines and debunks the arguments that the arrest and detention of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan is politically motivated and that the basis of the arrest lacks cogent and substantive legal foundations. Kocharyan has been charged with “overthrowing constitutional order” regarding the events of March 1, 2008 that left ten people dead.

It was in her sophomore year at university that Lilit Makunts realized that fighting for justice wasn’t simply a slogan. From her first involvement in a civic initiative to her foray into politics, Makunts has been ‘present’ all along, although perhaps slightly under the public radar. That is, until she was appointed as Armenia’s Minister of Culture on May 12.

Nerses Kopalyan writes that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s declaration of war against the entrenched powers of the previous system is not simply a singular attack against corruption, but rather a broad multi-pronged strategy that envisions an ideational restructuring of Armenia’s political culture.

The Amulsar gold mine, owned and operated by Lydian Armenia, is one of the most controversial projects in recent years in Armenia. Over the past weekend, activists from Yerevan and elsewhere traveled to the province of Vayots Dzor to raise awareness about the potential danger the mine poses to the environment.

In this second of a two-part series, Mikayel Zolyan looks at the external threats to the Armenian revolution. He writes that while security concerns continue to be real, the Armenian government and society need to make sure that the government system is well-functioning and ready to face external challenges.

Policies of previous administrations were not shaped by ideology, but rather, by a drive to consolidate illegitimate power through patronalistic politics. Nerses Kopalyan argues that the political ideology of Nikol Pahsinyan’s new government is aggressive centrism.

In the first of a two-part series, Mikayel Zolyan looks as the internal threats facing Armenia’s new government following the Velvet Revolution - the continued resistance of the remains of the ancien régime and potential radicals within the revolutionary camp.

The traditional cautionary question is often heard in Armenia: “How is it possible, in this state of war, to entrust governance to inexperienced people?” Suren Manukyan looks at the question of youth over the four waves of Armenia’s political elite starting from the Karabakh Movement.

Following a series of extraordinary events in Armenia that has come to be coined as the “Velvet Revolution,” it is now time to put emotions aside and begin the process of evaluating those events objectively and by applying several academic disciplines, writes Vahram Ter-Matevosyan.

The biographies of the new interim cabinet formed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other appointments.

As a participant and observer in every protest starting with the Karabakh Movement in 1988, Lusine Hovhannisyan writes that while Nikol Pashinyan gifted Armenians victory in 2018, the people now find themselves nervous about every decision, every appointment, every opinion being expressed.

Visual artist Ruben Malayan’s poster art that he created during the Velvet Revolution in Armenia is a fusion of his passion for calligraphy and the momentous events sweeping across the country.

Vahram Ter-Matevosyan writes about the political crisis that has gripped Armenia for three weeks now. He looks back at the special session of parliament that took place yesterday, which failed to elect a prime minister and explains why the Republicans would have served Armenia better if they had treated the matter with velvet gloves instead of an iron fist.

In this new piece, Mikayel Zolyan writes about the similarities and differences between the 1988 Karabakh Movement and the 2018 Velvet Revolution - what it meant for people then and now and lessons to be learned.

As Armenia's parliament elected Serzh Sargsyan as Armenia's prime minister today and as tens of thousands gathered in Republic Square in protest - here is a look back on the events of the last 48 hours through the lens of photojournalist Eric Grigorian.

While parliament prepares to elect the country’s new prime minister on April 17, thousands of Armenians poured out into the streets of the capital, exercising acts of civil disobedience. Clashes with security forces led to dozens of injuries. A recap of the day’s events.

Demonstrators led by Nikol Pashinyan, leader of the Civil Contract party, have shut down a major square in Yerevan, paralyzing the downtown core of the capital to protest former President Serzh Sargsyan’s candidacy for the office of prime minister.

Ten years after the worst post-election clashes in the history of Armenia’s independent statehood that left ten people dead and hundreds injured, the wounds are still fresh and the pain raw. In this personal essay, Hamazasp Danielyan writes about the events leading up to March 1, 2008 and reflects on his personal transformation.

On March 1, 2008, police units move in to put an end to ongoing protests disputing the results of the February 19, Presidential Elections in Armenia. In the aftermath ten people are dead, hundreds were injured. The reality before and after March 1st as seen through the lenses of the members of the 4Plus photo collective.

The Yerevan City elections, held on Sunday, May 14, produced more questions than answers as the ruling Republican Party of Armenia claimed a decisive victory with over 70 percent of the vote. Political consultant Arin Keshishian writes about his observations of the municipal elections for EVN Report.