YEREVAN, August 28. /ARKA/. The Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) will not nominate candidates for the election to the Council of Elders of Yerevan, slated for September 23, deputy parliament speaker from HHK Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters on Tuesday.

Sharmazanov explained the decision of the party by several factors, one of which is the post-revolutionary situation and because 'there are more important external and internal challenges than local elections."   

Sharmazanov said the party is still discussing what political party to support in the forthcoming election. The post of the mayor became vacant after former mayor Taron Margaryan resigned on July 9 amid a corruption scandal.

On August 16, the Armenian government terminated the powers of the Council of Elders. Elections to the Council of Elders are held by party lists. The deadline for parties’ nomination is August 29. The deadline for registration is September 3. The 10-day election campaign is to start a week after the registration is completed.

If a party wins more than 50% of the seats in the Council of Elders, the first number in the party’s list is considered elected mayor.

The Civil Contract party, headed by the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, nominated a popular actor Hayk Marutyan as a mayoral candidate. The Prosperous Armenia party nominated MP Naira Zohrabyan. 

Candidates for the post of mayor were also nominated by the Zharangutyun (Heritage) Party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation/Dashnaktsutyun, the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) party and the Light alliance of justice minister Artak Zeynalyan.-0-