RFE/RL has an update on Saturday’s murder in Nor Hajn when the town’s Mayor shot dead the head of the local electricity network. The dead man is apparently supporting a rival candidate in next month’s local elections.

A senior regional prosecutor, Mikael Grigorian, told RFE/RL that Keshishian has already been formally charged under an article of the Armenian Criminal Code that deals with “premeditated murders committed in a way that endangered many peoples’ lives.” He said the criminal investigation into the killing is still going on as there are “certain issues that need to be clarified.” He would not say if Keshishian pleaded guilty to the accusation that carries a lengthy prison sentences.

The deputy chief of the Nor Hajn police, Karen Vartanian, confirmed that the fatal shooting was sparked by the construction of a playground for children which Mkhitarian began without the mayor’s mandatory permission. He confirmed that Keshishian was accompanied by two police officers when he arrived at the construction site and began arguing with Mkhitarian.

Vartanian said the policemen were “15-20 meters” away from the two men when the shooting began and could not have prevented it. “Nor did they know that Keshishian had a pistol with him,” he added.

Residents of Nor Hajn, a town 15 kilometers north of Yerevan, say tensions between the two men were simmering for months and came to a head when Mkhitarian decided not to back the incumbent mayor’s reelection bid and throw his weight behind his challenger, Babken Markarian. The latter heads the local branch of the influential Yerkrapah Union of Nagorno-Karabakh war veterans.

Speaking to RFE/RL, Markarian said he believes the upcoming election was a key reason for the deadly incident, suggesting that Keshishian feared the wealthy power grid executive could cost him reelection. “Both the elections and year-long tensions between them played a role,” he said. “This was definitely the case. Ashot Mkhitarian was supporting my candidacy and platform.”

As RFE/RL reported yesterday, the victim was supported by oligarch Gagik Tsarukian (AKA Dodi Gago) while the Mayor enjoys the support of the Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian who reportedly gave him the murder weapon.