US embassy cable - 05YEREVAN1842

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001842 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR DRL AND EUR/CACEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, AM 
SUBJECT: MURDER SUSPECT RE-ELECTED AS TOWN MAYOR 
 
 
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
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MURDER CHARGES DON'T DISSUADE VOTERS... 
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2. (SBU) The campaign for mayor of the town of Nor Hajn 
(about 20 minutes outside of Yerevan in the Kotayk 
region) took a bizarre turn when the incumbent, Armen 
Keshishyan, shot dead his friend-turned rival.  Because 
Keshishyan had not gone to trial before the election -- 
held on October 9 -- his name was not removed from the 
ballot.   Voters were evidently not dissuaded by 
Keshishyan's actions and re-elected him, even though he 
was in custody on the day of the ballot.  At the time 
of the shooting -- which took place in broad daylight 
in front of witnesses -- Keshishyan was arguing with 
his rival about pork-barrel projects with which the 
mayor could not compete.  While there were reports of 
some electoral violations during last week's balloting, 
the local branch of the election watchdog NGO "It's 
Your Choice" told us that the voting was mostly fair. 
Government contacts confirmed to us that Keshishyan's 
opponent did not contest the results to Armenia's 
Central Electoral Commission. 
 
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...EVEN WHEN THE SMOKING GUN IS FROM THE PM 
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3. (SBU) Local media seized on the story not only 
because of Keshisyan's involvement in the bizarre 
murder story but because of claims that the murder 
weapon was a gift from Armenian Prime Minister Andranik 
Markarian.  An unidentified representative of the Prime 
Minister's office later reportedly confirmed to the 
media that Markarian often gives guns as gifts to close 
friends and that he had distributed over 500 such 
weapons during his ten years in office. 
 
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COMMENT:  FROM MAYOR'S OFFICE TO JAIL CELL? 
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3. (SBU) Comment:  This latest example of political 
passions running wild in Armenia's regions comes at a 
precarious time for Armenia.  GOAM authorities are 
facing heavy pressure to demonstrate mature democratic 
institutions during upcoming local elections later this 
month, the much-anticipated November 27 constitutional 
referendum and the 2007 (parliamentary) and 2008 
(presidential) elections.  Armenian legislation allows 
a criminal suspect to run for public office but 
requires resignation if found guilty.  The public and 
donor community will be watching carefully to see how 
the courts handle Keshishyan's case. 
EVANS