MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER RE-ELECTED MAYOR

The Associated Press
10/10/05 21:14 EDT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – The mayor of a small Armenian town jailed
on murder charges was re-elected to his post, election officials
said Monday.

Armen Keshishian, the mayor of Nor-Achin about six miles east of the
capital, Yerevan, 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 Markarian, according to the prime minister’s
spokeswoman, Mary Arutunian.

Firearms are considered a treasured gift in the Caucasus. Although
their sale is forbidden in Armenia, the president and prime minister
are empowered to present people with weapons.

Since becoming prime minister in 2000, Markarian has presented
589 people with guns, which police officials say have been used in
three murders and a number of attempted murders. Arutunian said law
enforcement bodies were now checking a number of people whom Markarian
plans to present with guns, to make sure they would not use them for
criminal purposes.

With the election victory, Keshishian will govern his town from behind
bars pending trial. If he is convicted, he will lose his post.