In February 2013, when campaigning for reelection as Armenia’s president, Serzh Sargsyan made a stop in the Armavir village of Karakert and promised to get the main road repaired.

Sargsyan, who was reelected, hasn’t kept that promise.

The main road hasn’t seen any basic repairs since it was built thirty years ago.

Before Sargsyan made a campaign stop there in 2013, work crews arrived and filled the numerous potholes with red grit – a temporary solution to a chronic problem.

Mayor MherHartenyan told Hetq that the local roads are in bad shape but that Karakert doesn’t have the money to invest in repair and maintenance.

“I’ve had the roads cleaned up a bit. That red grit laid down when the president arrived has been removed. The holed will be filled with gravel. We’ll make do,” Hartenyan told Hetq.

This work will cost the community 800,000 AMD (US$1,920).

“Our annual budget is 70 million AMD, but I can only spend 16 million per year. The rest is earmarked for kindergartens, municipal salaries and pensions,” Mayor Hartenyan told Hetq.

The portion of the M1 highway that passed through Karakert is 2.3 kilometers. To repair this stretch would cost 3.5 times the community’s annual budget.

“Engineers from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications came and surveyed the area. Theysaid the work would cost 249 million,” Hartenyan said.

The mayor hasn’t contacted any state agency for assistance, saying they are still waiting for the president to make good on his promise.

Hartenyan claims he’s been told in private that it’s a question of funding holding up the road work.

“I believe them because they’ve done everything else for our village they’ve promised,” Hartenyan said.

P.S. On November 4, two standing committees of the parliament (Standing Committee on Economic Affairs and Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs) held hearings on the 2015 budget. The Ministry of Transportation has budgeted 4 billion AMD for primary road repair and renovation as opposed to this year’s 13.2 billion. It’s still not known if the section of the M1 Highway that passes through Karakert is earmarked for repair.