Gyumri Mayor Fires Predecessor’s Daughter Over a Tiff

Mayor of Armenia's second-largest city Samvel Balasanyan (pictured) adopted his promised "punitive measures," reports local daily Zhoghovurd. 

After former Gyumri mayor Vardan Ghukasyan's son Spartak Ghukasyan threatened him two weeks ago, Balasanyan said if the relevant authorities this time as well don't deal with the matter, "I will turn to punitive measures — let no one doubt this."

And so, on Balasanyan's decree, Ghukasyan's daughter, Manya Ghukasyan, was dismissed from her position as director of Gyumri's art school. 

"On Feb. 5 a city hall employee went to the school and announced that Samvel Balasanyan said after these incidents, write your resignation letter. It was pointless to work with such a person. A man to go after a girl [to avenge his reputation]? It is not behavior that is appropriate of someone from Gyumri," said Manya's sister, Anna Ghukasyan, in conversation with the newspaper, adding that in her resignation letter her sister wished Balasanyan to get rid of the evil within him, to become kinder.