From 21 to 31 May, 2020, the “Media Advocate” initiative followed online media reports on the mayor of Yerevan, Hayk Marutyan’s personality and activities.
35 leading Armenian news agencies have been monitored.
In the specified period, 262 articles were declared, 82 of which were negative and 180 were neutral.
No positive articles were published on Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan.
It is mentioned that no one could find any congratulatory message on Hayk Marutyan’s Facebook page dedicated to the First Republic Day of Armenia.
Ruslan Baghdasaryan, the former head of the Davtashen district, has published Facebook posts on a four-fold increase in real estate prices, and in connection with Hayk Marutyan’s statement we should sell them as soon as possible as they will get even cheaper.
“Do you realize that this will destroy the real estate market? You did not consider the fact that the low rate made the property here attractive for our compatriots in the Diaspora. Do you want to cut off the Diaspora from Armenia?”, Ruslan Baghdasaryan wrote.
According to media outlets, one of the pre-election promises of Mayor Hayk Marutyan was to build a new metro station in Yerevan, and there were even announcements that a private company would carry out that construction. According to the publication, a year has already passed, but the construction has not started.
The press also touched upon the issue of raising property taxes, which is criticized by a number of public and political figures: “A year ago, the increase of local taxes is probably not enough for the already astronomical awards of Hayk Marutyan, his deputies, advisers, heads of departments. When it comes to getting a higher tax from an expensive property, of course, this mainly refers to the capital city. In the rest of Armenia, the value of property is lower due to its cadastral and market values.”
