Yerevan opera theatre staff calls for impeaching newly elected chief

The staff at the Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre has decided to impeach the new head of the governing board, considering her election illegitimate.

They raised the proposal at an assembly earlier today, arguing that the governing board, which elected Nazenie Garibian, is composed only of eight members of whom two are from the Ministry of Culture.

Garibian, who now serves as an acting minister of culture, received the collegial body’s unanimous support to act as the chief of the opera house on Friday.  

Only two members of the board are representatives of creative unions.

The staff insists that the election is not legally binding and calls for conducting a new voting to name a new director.

Harutyun Arzumanyan, one of the conductors, said they earlier had a similar precedent, when Hasmik Poghosyan, Armenia's minister of culture from 2006 to 2016, headed the governing board of the opera house.

''All our concerns should be submitted to the government through the governing board. I have no idea of how Nazenie Garibian is going to work with the theatre and how she envisions herself at all in that position,'' he told reporters.

Perch Karazyan, a member of the board, justifies Garibyan's election by the need of ensuring a direct contact with the government. ''The board should be headed by the most beautiful personality who maintains a daily contact with the government to raise the problems at the threatre in the quickest possible manner,'' he said.