The inauguration of the newly elected mayor of Armenia’s Vardenis town will take place Tuesday.

The Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent on location reported that there are a large number of police forces both inside and outside the town hall building.

On Monday, ruling Civil Contract Party’s (CCP) Vardenis mayoral candidate Aram Melkonyan had proposed the opposition to give up their town council seats and hold new elections. Melkonyan stated that the election of opposition member Aharon Khachatryan as mayor of Vardenis on December 30 is legally null and void.

In the December 5 local elections in this community, the CCP had won 13 seats, the Aharon Khachatryan bloc—10 seats, and the United Vardenis—4 seats in the town council. Then, the opposition forces had signed a memorandum to form a coalition, and therefore the number of their town council seats was enough to elect their mayor candidate.

After that, former mayor of Vardenis Aram Harutyunyan, who topped the electoral list of United Vardenis, was charged in a criminal case against him and was arrested.

The first session of the new Vardenis Council of Elders had taken place on December 30. But before the session started, the police had attempted to apprehend another opposition member of the council, Aharon Khachatryan, who is the opposition’s candidate for mayor. Three hours later, the opposition finally had managed to convene a session and elect Khachatryan mayor. The CCP members of this council, however, had not attended this session.