In the recent election for mayor of the village of Kachachkut in the Lori Marz, there were 290 voters and 4 candidates. This time it was current village head Haykaz Davtyan, store owner Araik Poghosyan, farmer Hovik Lalayan and leader of the religious sect New Apostles Mkhitar Tamazyan who were promising to solve the village's problems. Tamazyan, in addition to his religious duties, teaches history in the village school. The 31 st Regional Electoral Commission has not accepted the election results, and Mayor Davtyan views Tamazyan as his most powerful opponent in new elections scheduled for November 13 th .

According to the Local Electoral Commission Davtyan received 96 votes, the religious leader received 94, and the other two candidates 66 and 17 respectively. Tamazyan challenged the results and demanded a recount. After the recount, the 31 st Regional Commission declared that the two main candidates had received equal votes, but overturned the results. It had determined that the Kachachkut local commission had accepted ballots that had been marked incorrectly, and had, in an attempt to "fix the mistake" of the Central Electoral Commission put curtains around the voting booths. The members of the village commission had then helped the voters with poor vision to mark their choices, which was illegal.

Mkhitar Tamazyan is unhappy with the 31 st Regional Commission's decision to hold new elections in Kachachkut. He is confident that the villagers chose him. The majority of them make use of the free services his church offers-foreign language and computer courses, trade groups, a village bus, and social aid-to say nothing of the new promises the church is making. Supporters of the current village mayor believe that if Tamazyan is reelected he will use his authority to spread his religious beliefs. They are using this argument to garner support in the highest circles of the Armenian Apostolic Church. At the same time the New Apostles, backed by financing from Germany, have gained a lot of supporters in their church, and neither the village mayor nor those who oppose the sect can deny their votes.

Tamazyan went to the Lori Marz Court of First Instance, demanding that it nullify the regional commission's decision to declare the Kachachkut elections invalid, despite the fact that he had lost the election by two votes, according to local commission, and only tied it, according to the regional commission.

On October 26 th the court denied Tamazyan's request, affirming the decision to declare the Kachackut elections invalid. A new election is scheduled for November 13 th . Tamazyan's supporters don't believe that the unlucky date will mean misfortune for their candidate.

Given the way things have been going in the highest village in the Alaverdi region, the Regional Electoral Commission plans to send its representatives, along with Judge Borik Grigoryan, to Kachachkut on voting day in order to reinstate the rights of those who weren't included on the voter lists.