Epress.am News from Armenia
On Jan. 23, Charentsavan’s local mayoral elections will take place. The candidacy of current Charentsavan mayor Hakob Shahgaldyan, the son of Kotayk marzpet (regional governor) Kovalenko Shahgaldyan, naturally, has been put forth again, reports local Armenian daily Chorord Inknishkhanutyun (Fourth Self-Authority).
The other aspiring candidate for the position of mayor is Mushegh Nikoghosyan, the former Dashnak (member of the party the Armenian Revolutionary Federation). On Jan. 16, Hakob Shahgaldyan, along with his friends, found out that taxi driver Serghik said that he won’t vote for Hakob. As a result, at the square next to the city bus stop, at midnight, Hakob and his friends caught and assaulted the driver, then shot in his direction and fled.
When the next day, the driver’s son approached the mayor and attempted to demand an explanation, the mayor said his friends apologize to the driver. The nighttime shots were heard also by the residents of buildings near the square. Whether the police is aware of this or not, is a huge question mark, writes Chorord Inknishkhanutyun.