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Reuters AlertNet, UK
April 2 2007
Party nominee for new Armenian PM may eye presidency
02 Apr 2007 18:20:34 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Hasmik Mkrtchan
YEREVAN, April 2 (Reuters) - Armenia's Republican Party nominated
acting leader Serzh Sarksyan on Monday for the post of prime
minister, paving the way for a bid for the presidency next year.
President Robert Kocharyan is widely expected to sign a decree
endorsing Sarksyan's candidacy.
"Wednesday is the deadline for the appointment of a new prime
minister, and I think that namely on Wednesday the president will
appoint the prime minister," parliament spokesman Tigran Torosyan
told reporters.
Previous Prime Minister and party leader Andranik Margaryan, died
suddenly of a heart attack on March 25, depriving the tiny ex-Soviet
state of three million of a unifying figure ahead of parliamentary
polls scheduled for May 12.
Sarksyan, 52, who is expected to stand for the presidency of the
Caucasus nation in an election next year, has been defence minister
since 2000.
"Serzh Sarksyan is one of the most experienced and deserving
candidates for the post of prime minister," said Torosyan, who is
also deputy chairman of the Republican Party. He said other major
coalition parties had already approved Sarksyan's candidacy.
"All the agreements have already been reached, and there can be no
surprises," he said.
The Republican Party is expected to do well in next month's
parliamentary election.
Analysts believe Sarksyan may seek the presidency after Kocharyan's
second -- and last -- five-year term expires.
Christian Armenia is locked in a bloody dispute with Muslim
Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Many voters in next year's presidential election may be influenced by
the fact that Sarksyan, like Kocharyan, comes from Karabakh.
The area, administratively part of Azerbaijan, is populated by ethnic
Armenians who defy Baku's rule. More than 35,000 people died in the
Karabakh conflict before a 1994 truce.
Armenia, hemmed by Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia and Iran, relies
heavily on financial and moral support from a huge diaspora in
Russia, Western Europe and the United States.
April 2 2007
Party nominee for new Armenian PM may eye presidency
02 Apr 2007 18:20:34 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Hasmik Mkrtchan
YEREVAN, April 2 (Reuters) - Armenia's Republican Party nominated
acting leader Serzh Sarksyan on Monday for the post of prime
minister, paving the way for a bid for the presidency next year.
President Robert Kocharyan is widely expected to sign a decree
endorsing Sarksyan's candidacy.
"Wednesday is the deadline for the appointment of a new prime
minister, and I think that namely on Wednesday the president will
appoint the prime minister," parliament spokesman Tigran Torosyan
told reporters.
Previous Prime Minister and party leader Andranik Margaryan, died
suddenly of a heart attack on March 25, depriving the tiny ex-Soviet
state of three million of a unifying figure ahead of parliamentary
polls scheduled for May 12.
Sarksyan, 52, who is expected to stand for the presidency of the
Caucasus nation in an election next year, has been defence minister
since 2000.
"Serzh Sarksyan is one of the most experienced and deserving
candidates for the post of prime minister," said Torosyan, who is
also deputy chairman of the Republican Party. He said other major
coalition parties had already approved Sarksyan's candidacy.
"All the agreements have already been reached, and there can be no
surprises," he said.
The Republican Party is expected to do well in next month's
parliamentary election.
Analysts believe Sarksyan may seek the presidency after Kocharyan's
second -- and last -- five-year term expires.
Christian Armenia is locked in a bloody dispute with Muslim
Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Many voters in next year's presidential election may be influenced by
the fact that Sarksyan, like Kocharyan, comes from Karabakh.
The area, administratively part of Azerbaijan, is populated by ethnic
Armenians who defy Baku's rule. More than 35,000 people died in the
Karabakh conflict before a 1994 truce.
Armenia, hemmed by Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia and Iran, relies
heavily on financial and moral support from a huge diaspora in
Russia, Western Europe and the United States.