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| 14:20:01 | 09-04-2005 | Politics |

MAYOR SHOULD BE ELECTED BY RESIDENTS

The Mayor of Yerevan is appointed and dismissed by the
President. Yerevan has the status of region. The draft of
constitutional amendments provides for transforming the status the
city to a community.

“If Yerevan is a community it should be headed by an elective person
independent of those who appointed him”, one of the Yerevan residents
said when responding to our question whether the Mayor of Yerevan
should be elected or appointed. April 1-6 we addressed this question
to 100 citizens. 55% of the respondents stated the Mayor should
be an elective figure. 20 hold the opinion that according to the
Constitution he should be an appointee. 25% of those surveyed found
difficulty in answering.

According to the experts of the Venice Commission, the appointment and
dismissal of the Mayor by the President is one of the key violations
of the local democracy and principles of the European Charter of Local
Self-Government. According chapter 3.2 of the Charter the Mayor is
elected by the resident of the city.

Karine Asatryan