VIDEO: Marutyan Explains the Breakdown Between Him and the CP

Mayor Hayk Marutyan provided details on the breakdown of his relationship with the ruling Civil Contract party during a special session of the city council, where he faced a vote of no confidence from the "My Step" faction.

“During my time in office, I received numerous calls from high-ranking officials, who would say, 'Mr. Marutyan, this or that employee at the city hall has posted a bad comment or liked something inappropriate; they need to be dismissed.' I received dozens of such calls, and in response, I told them, 'Dear friends, we made the revolution so that it would not be like the old days, where people were persecuted for their political views.' I said, 'I’m sorry, but a country cannot be governed through Facebook; everything does not begin and end on Facebook.' I would ask them to leave me alone; I did not come here for that, I am focused on the job at hand. In short, I rejected all such requests. But that was just the beginning. Then a variety of officials started calling and asking for favors for their relatives, like putting this flower's 'bud' here, or granting that construction permit.

Of course, in every case, I gave the same answer: as long as I am here, everything will be done within the framework of the law, and everyone is equal before the law,” said Hayk Marutyan.

The mayor stated that this was a very unpleasant signal for him, as he did not expect to encounter such calls upon joining the team. “That’s when the ideological rift between me and the CP began to emerge,” the mayor added.