“Hraparak” writes that on September 9 Qajaran also will elect a Mayor. Since August 5 the candidacies have been run but here there are no candidacies yet. It is expected that the incumbent candidate Republican Vardan Gevorgyan will run his candidacy.
“Qajaran is like a big work group the political atmosphere of which is directed by the copper mining company looking at a single person- the company’ s director Maxim Hakobyan.
Qajaranians even joke: ““Our town is a small Syria, and Maxim is our Bashar Asad.” The company’s director influences the Mayor elections of not only Qajaran, but also the other neighbor towns; Goris and Kapan. In previous elections he supported the present mayor of Kapan Arthur Atayan who is a member of Armenian Revolutionary Federation ARF, but they say in Syunik that he has decided to stay neutral and it is still a question whether he will support the ARF candidate Ashot Harutyunyan or not.
Generally Qajaranians like their mayor. They mention that Vardan Gevorgyan is a brave guy and is “in good terms with manxims”, he behaves simply and finds ways of conversation with everybody, and his single drawback is that he is weak. “He will stay anywhere between Liska and Maxim”, told a young Qajaranian.”
