NOR HAJN GOVERNED BY DEPUTY MAYOR

Armenpress
Oct 11 2005

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 11, ARMENPRESS: A small town of Nor Hajn, some 15 km
northeast of Yerevan will be governed by the deputy mayor until the
end of the trial of its mayor, Armen Keshishian, who was re-elected to
his post in Sunday election while being in custody on murder charges.

Armen Keshishian, the mayor of Nor Hajn, has been charged in the
Sept. 24 shooting death of Ashot Mkhitarian, the head of a local
electric utility.

The pistol that allegedly killed the utility chief had been presented
to Keshishian by prime minister Andranik Margarian. A spokesman
for Armenian Central Election Commission, Tsovinar Khachatrian,
said Keshishian will have to ask for resignation if the court finds
him guilty.

According to official results of Sunday’s election, Armen Keshishian
won nearly 50 percent of the vote, against 41.5 percent polled by his
sole challenger for the post of Nor Hajn mayor. Nor Hajn municipality
said the town is now being governed by the jailed mayor’s deputy Edik
Keshishian, a mayor’s relative.