Argishti Mekhakyan, the current governor of Armavir, has been nominated by the Civil Contract party as its candidate for mayor of Etchmiadzin, according to Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan.

Khudatyan explained that the cities of Vagharshapat and Khoy are set to merge, and in that context, Civil Contract chose Mekhakyan for the mayoral post. “The merger process is being implemented in stages, and more communities will be unified by 2026, just as they were in 2021. This is a continuous process and not politically driven,” Khudatyan told Pastinfo.

He said that the mergers are not designed to simply install their preferred candidates in larger municipalities, but rather because managing larger communities is more efficient.

When asked why Mekhakyan—who has only been governor for a few months—was selected, Khudatyan stated that he is thoroughly familiar with local issues. “I believe residents of Etchmiadzin and representatives of the Khoy community have no better choice than Mekhakyan,” he said.

On May 15, Etchmiadzin mayor Diana Gasparyan announced her resignation.