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Four school principals from Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province have submitted their resignations after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan “instructed” them to do so. The resignations followed reports from election observers that they had allowed students and teachers to attend a Civil Contract (Grashdanskiy Dogovor) party rally during working hours.
In its extensive report, the organization Akanates (Eye-witness) noted that its observers recorded on-site how principals and teachers from several schools in Aparan and nearby settlements participated in the Civil Contract election campaign during working hours.
“Of particular concern is the fact that, under direct instructions from school administration and teaching staff, students were taken out of classrooms to greet the Prime Minister and ensure participation in the campaign event,” the reports stated.
According to the findings, students were also given “mandatory instructions regarding their appearance, clothing, and even hairstyles, with calls for them to braid their hair.”
In some cases, observers “personally witnessed” school principals and teachers giving “loud and strict instructions” via phone calls, demanding that children’s participation be ensured in an “mandatory and organized manner.”
In the village of Tsakhkashen, students were also “handed T-shirts featuring the symbols of the ruling Civil Contract party and its political slogans,” the organization reported.
According to the organization, an individual named Edgar “actively coordinated” the event, “personally meeting the children, distributing campaign-style flags, and giving clear instructions on where participants should be positioned during the event.”
“Armenian law prohibits political activity or election campaigning in educational institutions,” the observers stated, citing the Electoral Code, which forbids “the organization and conduct of election campaigning by employees of educational institutions while performing their official duties or in an official capacity.”
In addition to the schools, the mission also recorded the “organized presence” of employees from the Gntunik supermarket in the town of Aparan at the campaign event.
At a press conference on Thursday, Pashinyan stated that the principals of the four schools involved in the case had submitted their resignations “at his instruction.” He noted that their resignations would not be accepted until an official investigation into the matter is completed.
“To avoid the impression that we are acting emotionally or unfairly toward anyone, we will conduct an internal investigation, and in cases where illegal instructions were given, accountability will certainly follow,” Pashinyan said.
He also stated that the use of administrative resources to coerce people into participating in any events “cannot remain without consequences.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Armenia’s Ministry of Education announced the start of an internal investigation into the incident, adding that it is forwarding all its reports to law enforcement agencies. It emphasized the importance of maintaining the depoliticized functioning of educational institutions.
Separately, the Central Electoral Commission emphasized the illegality of using administrative resources for election campaigning.
