YEREVAN. – The residents of Yeghegnut village in Armavir Province who were protesting Friday in front of the main building of the government of Armenia—and against their former village head Razmik Margaryan, have submitted a petition to Nairi Sargsyan, the Prime Minister's assistant.

Ayser Isayan, President of the "For the Welfare, Humanitarian and Economic Development of the People" NGO, who supports the residents of Yeghegnut, told reporters that they had submitted three demands from the residents of the aforesaid village, and Isayan presented these demands: the resignation of the governor Hambardzum Matevosyan of Armavir Province; if the governor does not resign, then banning him from carrying out destructive actions in the province; and not directing police and law enforcement agencies toward carrying out actions in Yeghegnut.

After that, the demonstrators ended their protest and left, but noting that they expect a clear response by August 27.

As reported earlier, after the change of power in Armenia in 2018, the then village head of Yeghegnut, Razmik Margaryan, had resigned prematurely—and under pressure from the villagers, and then, by the decision of the then governor of Armavir, Gagik Mirijanyan, Razmik Mkrtchyan was appointed acting head of the village.

But Margaryan had petitioned to the courts, demanding to invalidate the aforesaid decision of the provincial governor and to reinstate his powers as the village head.

And after a trial of about 1.5 years, the Administrative Court had declared the said decision invalid.

As a solution to this problem, the local council of elders proposes to hold a local referendum, but on August 11, the regional election commission rejected this petition, and on Thursday—the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia, too.