What has changed in Yerevan Council of Elders after the RA NA elections / Infographic?

As a result of the extraordinary parliamentary elections on December 9^th, many members of the Yerevan Council of Elders, including women, became MPs. Their vacancies were filled out by other candidates included in the lists of political forces, as a result of which the representation of women increased, and now, 21 out of 65 members of Yerevan Council of Elders or 32 % are women. Earlier, according to the results of early elections of Yerevan Council of Aldermen last September, only 18 out of 65 members of the Council of Elders were women, which was 27.6%.

Of the three members of the “Luys” alliance, two or 67% are women. It was the same before the parliamentary elections. Tehnine Vardanyan replaced Ani Samsonyan, who became MP. She was also a council member during the previous mayor’s election. Another member of the faction is Ani Khachatryan. Let us remind that female candidates were 35.7% in the Luys Alliance electoral list.

Of the five members of the PAP faction now two or 40% are women instead of the previous 20%. Lyudmila Sargsyan replaced Arman Abovyan, who went to parliament. Hripsime Arakelyan was the only female party member before the parliamentary elections. Candidates for the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) were 30.7% in the electoral list.

More changes have been made in the “My Step” faction. While 15 out of the 57 mandates received by the “My Step” bloc, 15 or 26.3% were women. Now, 16 out of 57 members of the faction, or 28% are women, almost as much as “My Step” in the electoral roll (28.8%).

Female members of the faction are Isabella Abgaryan, Gayane Melkomyan, Lilit Pipoyan, Eva Tovmasyan, Gayane Yeghiazaryan, Gayane Vardanyan, Ovsanna Hovsepyan, Satenik Mkrtchyan, Hasmik Khachunts, Arpenik Marutyan, Lusine Gevorgyan, Lilit Kirakosyan, Nvard Vardanyan, Anna Javakhyan, Arusyak Harutyunyan, Anahit Asatryan. Gayane Abrahamyan, Lusine Badalyan, Narine Khachaturyan, Sona Ghazaryan, Arusyak Julhakyan have gone to the National Assembly from this faction.

It is noteworthy that the increase of women’s involvement in Yerevan Council of Elders did not in any way affect the governing body of the municipality, which is still entirely male.

The Yerevan mayor and his four deputies are men, all three mayor councilors are men, mayor’s assistant, press secretary, chief of staff, and chief architect of the city are men too. Women appear only in the positions of heads of departments, with only three women out of 22 departments of the City Hall. To complete the picture, all 12 administrative districts of the capital are headed by men. Only one of the 19 deputy heads of the administrative district is a woman.