First of all, I want to congratulate Tigran Avinyan on the occasion of being elected mayor of Yerevan; this is a very big responsibility indeed. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this during Friday’s swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected mayor of Yerevan.
"This is indeed a very big responsibility, not only for Tigran Avinyan, not only for the [ruling] Civil Contract Party, but also for all those people and before those people who took part in the elections of the Yerevan Council of Elders and expressed their position. Regardless of who people voted for, they had one expectation: to see a flourishing Yerevan and to see a happy Yerevan resident. This seems to be a task that is difficult but inevitable for implementation. And fulfilling this task is not only the job of the mayor, but also of the entire composition of the Yerevan Council of Elders.
"Also, I want to congratulate all the parties that formed a faction as a result of the Yerevan Council of Elders’ elections, and wish them fruitful work for the sake of Yerevan and the residents of Yerevan," said Pashinyan.
According to him, this election of Yerevan Council of Elders showed something very important: the irreversibility of democracy in Armenia.
"The entire electoral process was, of course, tense, but the democratic essence was not overshadowed in any way; this is a very important record. It is also very important to record that these elections have once again shown our unwavering commitment to the values of the velvet, non-violent revolution of 2018 [in Armenia], whose primary was to endow the people, the Armenian citizen, with the unbreakable power to form institutions. These elections proved the irreversibility of that logic in Armenia," the PM emphasized.
According to the results of the election of Council of Elders, a new model of governance will be tested in Yerevan, and the governance of the Armenian capital will be carried out by two political forces in the executive sector: the Civil Contract and the Republic Parties. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this during Friday’s swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected mayor of Yerevan, Tigran Avinyan.
"This should really bring a new culture of governance, and I hope that this model will really justify itself," he added.
Pashinyan reminded that, according to the law, Yerevan is governed by the entire Council of Elders.
"It should be recorded that elections are elections, but while following the work of the Yerevan Council of Elders or the city hall, people will want to hear and see the answer to one question: to what extent the forces elected by their votes are dedicated to solving the problems of Yerevan and the resident Yerevan? I am convinced that we will indeed be consistent on this path.
"In 2018, our political team, assuming the responsibility of governing Yerevan, implemented significant changes in the capital, and I am convinced that during this time these changes will be visible and more tangible. I want to assure that the Armenian government, as it has been, will continue to stand with the mayor, the Council of Elders of Yerevan, for the sake of Yerevan and the resident of Yerevan," said the Armenian PM.
"On this path, we must be tireless, consistent, principled and honest. I'm convinced it will be. Glory to the martyrs, and long live the Republic of Armenia!" Nikol Pashinyan stated in conclusion of his remarks.
