Martin Vardazaryan: We worked in harmony and peace
The work done by the Council of Elders instills hope, and this is only the beginning, Martin Vardazaryan, a City Council member from the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), said when assessing the activity of the Council in the past four years.
While the composer praised the work of the acting mayor [Taron Margaryan], saying he has opened free kindergartens, cleaned and beautified the Armenian capital, he confessed that he did not like everything. In particular, Mr Vardazaryan is concerned about the ongoing construction in the suburbs.
"I am glad that people can afford to build such castles but they do not correspond with the general urban building," he said.
Martin Vardazaryan expressed his satisfaction with the work of the Council of Elders, saying it includes people who are really concerned about our capital.
"I do not see any setoff that two parties are represented in the City Council. The third force that had a certain number of votes did not fill its seats. It is not important to name the force now. I am glad to say that there is no contradiction between the two parties and he Council is comprised of people who really care for Yerevan," he said.
The third force Mr Vardazaryan hinted at is the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) which refused to take its mandates and participate in the Council activities.
Some time later Ruben Torosyan, who was included in the bloc's list, decided to take the mandate but he was disallowed to do it by law.
In his written reply to our inquiry, Mr Torosyan said the cooperation between the HHK and Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) in the last four years simply distorted the concept of local self-government bodies.
"HAK, specifically its Central Office, is also responsible for the mess as they announced that they are boycotting the Council sittings but in fact they did nothing. As a result, the Council of Elders was believed to be working perfectly. Moreover, HAK even hindered my activity. To put it mildly, the Council of Elders is a formal body that unnecessarily wastes money," he said.
We could not contact BHK representatives to hear their opinion on the Council's work.
The municipal election in the Armenian capital is slated for May 5. The election campaign will kick off on April 7 and come to an end on May 3. The participating political forces and blocs will compete for the 65-member Council of Elders.
