Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan has criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks on peace and elections, questioning their credibility and urging voters to oppose the ruling party.
Speaking in court on March 24, Ghukasyan responded to Pashinyan’s statement that if the Civil Contract party is not elected, “there will be war,” saying that “his words are not trustworthy.” The remarks were reported by Aysor.am.
According to Ghukasyan, citizens should go to the polls and vote against the Civil Contract party.
“The Young Turks also initially acted under the principle of peace, and then organized the Genocide. Where will Nikol Pashinyan’s peace come from? That is, Nikol Pashinyan cannot serve as a guarantor. His words are not trustworthy; citizens must go and vote against the Civil Contract party,” he said.
Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan’s detention has been extended by two months. Another defendant in the case is Gyumri’s chief architect, Henrik Gasparyan, whose pretrial detention has been replaced with house arrest. He, along with Ghukasyan, is accused of demanding a 4 million dram bribe from businessman Sevak Gomtsyan to legalize an unauthorized construction. The mayor denies the charges against him.
In another case under examination at the Anti-Corruption Court, Ghukasyan has also been charged with illegally alienating land plots during his tenure as mayor of Gyumri from 1999 to 2012.
