The community cannot be governed if there is a conflict in the council of elders, if one of the factions is boycotting, the other one is not present. President of the Union of Communities (Municipalities) of Armenia, Emin Yeritsyan, told this to reporters Wednesday—and referring to the situation in the council of elders of the enlarged rural community of Parakar.

"There are three parties here. If they do not reach an agreement, there is another solution: new elections," he added.

To the question why Wednesday first session of the Parakar village council, during which the new head of the community was to be elected, did not take place, although 11 of the 21 members of the council were in attendance, Yeritsyan responded: "The ‘Country to Live’ Faction had not come; that is, the session had to take place with 11 people, which means that the problem is not overcome, there is a conflict.

Second, the situation in the community needs to be calmed down. It is very possible that all 21 members will participate in the next session of the council of elders and that Davit Minasyan will be elected [the new mayor of Parakar]; that is, all this is just to create a solidarity situation in the community.

They will meet, talk today, and depending on its results, a meeting of the council of elders will be convened tomorrow or the next day. "

Yeritsyan added that the village hall staff is convening this meeting.

The newly elected council of elders of Armenia’s Parakar village was to convene its first session Wednesday, and the election of the new head of this rural community was on the agenda. The session, however, did not take place because the "Country to Live" Faction was not in attendance.

As a result of the local elections in Parakar on December 5, the Country to Live party won ten seats in the village council, the "Davit Minasyan" bloc of parties—nine, and Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract Party—two.

First, Volodya Grigoryan, the candidate from the Country to Live party, was nominated for the post of village mayor, and was elected by ten votes. According to the Country to Live party, the law allows to elect by 40 percent the only candidate nominated for community leader.

After that, the Parakar village council members supporting Davit Manukyan’s candidacy came to the council, and they elected Manukyan village mayor, with 11 votes—which is more than 50 percent.

On December 23, supporters of the Country to Live party had gathered at the courtyard of the Parakar House of Culture, where the inauguration of their candidate for village mayor was to take place. But the police had not permitted them to enter the building, and  therefore this inauguration had taken place outside.

But on the same day, the "Davit Minasyan" bloc of parties had filed a lawsuit demanding that the election results be declared invalid. And the Administrative Court ruled to declare invalid the results of the elections for the mayor of Parakar village.