Yerevan’s Mayor resigns over scandal
My google reader is almost bombed with recent developments on mayor’s resignation. First reactions: “You see, we won’t let Moscow to leave as behind” 
At last, we can copy and paste political scenes as well 
On the other hand… As far as I know, Moscow didn’t turn on self destruction of the regime How to influence Yerevan to do that 
No more jokes, really, just background information. With reference to the recent news spokesperson for the President of Republic of Armenia, Armen Arzumanyan, has confirmed the scandal involving Yerevan Mayor. Armen Arzumanyan confirmed the reports on an incident between Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan and Aram Kandayan, an employee of the Department of Protocol at the presidential office.
“Yes, unfortunately, there has been such an incident. Of course, the press has been exaggerative in the description of the event saying Kandayan has been kidnapped and beaten. There has been neither kidnapping, nor beating. However, there has been an incident between the two men,” said Arzumanyan. ” Armenian President has repeatedly expressed his opinion on such incidents. This behavior is unacceptable, especially in the case of officials,” he said.
Gagik Beglaryan has already submitted resignation to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Future reading – Yerevan City Hall officially confirms Gagik Beglaryan’s resignation, President’s Spokesman: “Yes, the incident did happen”. Check also the pics i’ve published months before with private photos of all politicians mentioned above – here.
Read news, have fun
Yerevan Mayor Resigns Over Assault
08.12.2010
Yerevan’s controversial Mayor Gagik Beglarian was forced to step down on Wednesday after reportedly beating up a member of President Serzh Sarkisian’s staff.
The resignation was announced by the Mayor’s Office just hours after Sarkisian effectively confirmed and condemned through a spokesman Beglarian’s involvement in the assault on Aram Kandayan, an official at the presidential administration’s protocol unit.
According to media reports, Kandayan incurred the ire of Beglarian after asking the latter’s wife not to sit next to Sarkisian during the November 3 concert in Yerevan of Placido Domingo, the world-famous Spanish tenor. Such seats have traditionally been reserved for Armenia’s prime minister, parliament speaker and the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Beglarian, who did not attend the concert, allegedly drove Kandayan to one of his properties in Yerevan and beat up the young official there the next day. Reports claimed that Sarkisian was infuriated by the incident and demanded an official apology from the mayor.
“Unfortunately, an incident did take place,” the presidential press secretary, Armen Arzumanian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “But the media have exaggerated it. In particular, there was no kidnapping or brutal beating.”
“The president has repeatedly made clear his position on such deeds,” said Arzumanian. “Namely, such a conduct is unacceptable and intolerable. The more so in the case of a state official.”
Neither Beglarian, nor his alleged victim could be reached for comment throughout the day. The press office of the Yerevan municipality also did not respond to phone calls.
It was not immediately clear who will perform the mayor’s duties until the election of Beglarian’s successor by the city’s Council of Elders. Most of the council seats are controlled by President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).
Beglarian became Yerevan’s first elected mayor in more than a decade after leading the HHK to a landslide victory in disputed municipal elections held in May 2009. The 46-year-old businessman, who is also known to many Armenians as “Black Gago,” had previously governed the Armenian capital’s central administrative district.
Beglarian has long held sway in a largely blue-collar section of the district notorious for election-related violence against opposition activists. Armenian opposition groups have for years accused him of heading a local clan that rigs elections and bullies the government’s political opponents. In particular, they implicated him in a December 2009 assault on more than a dozen young activists of the opposition Armenian National Congress.
Both Beglarian and the HHK have denied these allegations. The ruling party highlighted the mayor’s status as a key presidential ally when it elected him to its decision-making Executive Body late last year.
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/2242752.html
And here are the reactions…
President sacks justice minister
10:43 • 09.12.10
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan fired on Wednesday Justice Minister Gevorg Danielyan.Tert.am sources say the move was related t an incident at the ministry about a month ago when the relevant bodies had resorted to “violent force”.
Tert.am sources also say that Gevorg Danielyan had undertaken “improper actions” over the incident.
It comes just hours after Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan resigned over a scandal with an employee of the presidential administration. The president had condemned Beglaryan’s behavior, saying it is “unacceptable and intolerable.”
“For several times, Armenia’s president has clearly expressed his approach over such actions. Such conduct is unacceptable and intolerable, especially by a statesman,” Armen Arzumanyan, spokesperson for the Armenian president, said.
http://tert.am/en/news/2010/12/09/justice/
Why Gevorg Danielyan?
According to some sources, Minister of Justice Gevorg Danielyan has been dismissed by Serzh Sargsyan’s decree. The official decree will most probably be released in the morning.
There are no motives, but there are two decrees that the Minister signed a couple of hours before his dismissal and they are posted on the Ministry’s official website.
Both decrees are related to General Compulsory Executor of Judicial Acts of the Ministry of Justice Mihran Poghosyan. According to one of them, one of the latter’s decrees was declared invalid, while he was fined and given a strict warning for wrong line of conduct as a compulsory executor of judicial acts based on the other decree.
It is hard to say how these are related to each other. According to press releases, Mihran Poghosyan has friendly ties with Serzh Sargsyan.
The decree that was declared invalid was related to bringing Head of the Department of Staff Management of the Judicial Acts Compulsory Enforcement Service, Justice Colonel Ruben Mirakyan back to office after he was dismissed by Mihran Poghosyan on November 3. Presses released information according to which Mihran Poghosyan had beaten Ruben Mirakyan before dismissal. Perhaps this was the fact that served as a basis for Danielyan giving Mihran Poghosyan a warning.
As to why he is back after a month is a little unclear. It is possibly linked to the president’s press speaker Armen Arzumanyan’s announcement following the incident with the participation of Gagik Beglaryan and the resignation in which Arzumanyan stated: “The RA President has expressed his clear position on such acts several times. This behavior is inacceptable and intolerable, especially in the case of a state official.”
P.S. But if the news about the Minister’s resignation is confirmed by morning, it can be said that it is possible and tolerable in the case of a friend.
Rumor has it that knowing about what was “to come” in advance, the Minister took the opportunity and finally gave a warning to Mihran Poghosyan.
http://www.a1plus.am/en/politics/2010/12/9/gevorg-danielian
Գ. Դանիելյանին ՀՀ արդարադատության նախարարի պաշտոնից ազատելու մասին
Ղեկավարվելով Հայաստանի Հանրապետության Սահմանադրության 55-րդ հոդվածի 4-րդ կետով և հիմք ընդունելով Հայաստանի Հանրապետության Նախագահի 2007 թվականի հուլիսի 18-ի ՆՀ-174-Ն հրամանագրով սահմանված կարգի 140-րդ կետի 3-րդ ենթակետը և 142-րդ կետը` ո ր ո շ ու մ ե մ.
Գևորգ ԴԱՆԻԵԼՅԱՆԻՆ ազատել Հայաստանի Հանրապետության արդարադատության նախարարի պաշտոնից` պաշտոնեական պարտականությունները ոչ պատշաճ կատարելու համար:
ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԻ
ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՆԱԽԱԳԱՀ
Ս.ՍԱՐԳՍՅԱՆ
2010թ. դեկտեմբերի 09
Երևան
http://www.president.am/events/decrees/eng/?id=478