Vardan Ghukasyan Elected Mayor of Gyumri in Major Political Shift

In a major political change for Armenia’s second-largest city, Gyumri has a new mayor—Vardan Ghukasyan. He was elected unanimously by the city’s municipal council on Wednesday, April 10, following weeks of tense negotiations and political drama. The Armenian Report’s team traveled to Gyumri to cover this moment firsthand.

This election marks Ghukasyan’s return to power. He previously served as mayor from 1999 to 2012, a time marked by both influence and controversy. Now at 64 years old, Ghukasyan is making a political comeback with the support of a coalition of opposition groups, who together defeated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling party in the March 30 local election.

Ghukasyan ran for mayor under the Armenian Communist Party (HKK). While he only came in second in the election, winning about 20.7% of the vote, the real decision came down to the new city council. Armenia’s political system allows city council members to elect the mayor, and in this case, opposition forces united to support Ghukasyan.

Although Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won the most votes—36.8%—they did not win a majority. With only 14 out of 33 council seats, they were unable to elect their own candidate, Sarik Minasyan. The remaining 19 council seats went to the HKK and three other local opposition groups.

Two of those opposition groups, one led by TV producer Ruben Mkhitaryan and the other by businessman Karen Simonyan, quickly threw their support behind Ghukasyan. They said this was a step toward changing the national government in Yerevan.

The fourth group, the Our City bloc led by Martun Grigoryan, was hesitant at first. There has been a long history of conflict between Grigoryan’s family and Ghukasyan’s. But after pressure from other opposition figures and political activists, Grigoryan agreed to support Ghukasyan on April 4—just in time for the vote.

Ghukasyan is no stranger to controversy. During his time as mayor more than a decade ago, critics accused him of leading a powerful local clan that controlled much of Gyumri’s economy. He was also accused of violent behavior—claims he has always denied.

In 2007, Ghukasyan narrowly survived what appeared to be an assassination attempt when gunmen shot at his motorcade. He was seriously wounded, and three of his bodyguards were killed.

Today, he faces criminal cases that his supporters call politically motivated. Martun Grigoryan, even while backing him, warned that Ghukasyan might soon be arrested. Ghukasyan says he is not afraid and believes the charges are just another political attack.

The city council’s vote to elect Ghukasyan took place during its first official meeting. Civil Contract members did not attend the session in protest. Earlier that day, their candidate Sarik Minasyan released a statement accusing the opposition of lying to Gyumri voters and demanding new elections.

But for the opposition, this was a clear and symbolic victory. Ruben Mkhitaryan posted on Facebook, saying, “From the city of love and creation, we are sending the wind of change to Yerevan.” The message was clear—Gyumri’s vote could signal bigger changes across the country.

Ghukasyan himself said his new allies “will not be ashamed” of choosing him as mayor. He is expected to be sworn in on Saturday.

This election came after the sudden resignations of Gyumri’s previous mayor, Vardges Samsonyan, and several city council members last October. They were part of a local bloc led by businessman Samvel Balasanyan, who left office after being charged with crimes he said were false.

The political vacuum created by those resignations led to the March 30 vote—and ultimately to Vardan Ghukasyan’s return to office.

Ghukasyan had once supported Prime Minister Pashinyan’s “velvet revolution” in 2018. But by 2021, he had switched sides, backing former President Robert Kocharyan and his opposition Hayastan alliance.

Now, with the support of three other opposition leaders, he holds power once again—this time with a city council majority behind him.

What this change means for Gyumri—and for Armenia—remains to be seen. But for now, the country’s political winds are blowing from the north. And Gyumri is once again at the center of it all.

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