YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: [Second President] Robert Kocharyan [who heads the opposition “Armenia” bloc] has become the lifebuoy of [Yerevan Mayor] Hayk Marutyan. It is not a secret that [acting PM Nikol] Pashinyan and the [ruling] team want to get rid of the "good" mayor (…).

However, the ruling team has realized that by calling new elections, they could lose Yerevan because although the [ruling] CC [(Civil Contract Party)] won in Yerevan [in the snap parliamentary elections on June 20], the difference between their votes and "Armenia's" is not big, and (…) a new election is risky, the Kocharyan [team] can mobilize their forces and win.

But they [i.e., the ruling team] do not want to dismiss Marutyan through the council of elders because there is no suitable candidate on the list. Moreover, they said that Pashinyan is now trying to smooth relations with Marutyan. 'Kiss, put on your forehead the hand you cannot cut,' says the folk saying.