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DASHNAKS REAFFIRM PRESIDENTIAL PLANS
By Anna Saghabalian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 18 2007
A leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun)
reaffirmed on Monday the party's intention to nominate its own
candidate in next year's presidential election.
Vahan Hovannisian, who is also a deputy speaker of Armenia's newly
elected parliament, argued that Dashnaktsutyun has policy differences
with the Republican Party (HHK) of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian,
President Robert Kocharian's most likely successor. He also claimed
that his party's independent involvement in the presidential race is
essential for strengthening democracy in the country.
"There already exist safeguards against Armenia's slide into
dictatorship," said Hovannisian. "But in my opinion, those safeguards
are not that strong, and I think the Dashnaktsutyun candidate will
be best placed to strengthen them."
Dashnaktsutyun leaders have repeatedly stated over the past year that
they will not back Sarkisian for the Armenian presidency and will field
their own candidate instead. Sarkisian reportedly tried to get them to
reconsider this stance during power-sharing negotiations that followed
the HHK's landslide victory in the May 12 parliamentary elections. But
he eventually agreed to give Dashnaktsutyun three ministerial posts
in his new cabinet without securing its commitment to endorsing his
presidential bid.
"Whoever runs for president, we are not an enemy of the Republican
Party," Hovannisian told reporters. "We are longtime partners. We
just have our approaches to many issues. We see different solutions
to those issues." He did not specify what those differences are.
Under the June 6 power-sharing agreement signed with the HHK and
the pro-Kocharian Prosperous Armenia Party, Dashnaktsutyun will
bear responsibility only for the policies and actions of the three
government ministers affiliated with it. This allowed the nationalist
party to further distance itself from Sarkisian's government while
retaining most of its power levers.
By Anna Saghabalian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 18 2007
A leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun)
reaffirmed on Monday the party's intention to nominate its own
candidate in next year's presidential election.
Vahan Hovannisian, who is also a deputy speaker of Armenia's newly
elected parliament, argued that Dashnaktsutyun has policy differences
with the Republican Party (HHK) of Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian,
President Robert Kocharian's most likely successor. He also claimed
that his party's independent involvement in the presidential race is
essential for strengthening democracy in the country.
"There already exist safeguards against Armenia's slide into
dictatorship," said Hovannisian. "But in my opinion, those safeguards
are not that strong, and I think the Dashnaktsutyun candidate will
be best placed to strengthen them."
Dashnaktsutyun leaders have repeatedly stated over the past year that
they will not back Sarkisian for the Armenian presidency and will field
their own candidate instead. Sarkisian reportedly tried to get them to
reconsider this stance during power-sharing negotiations that followed
the HHK's landslide victory in the May 12 parliamentary elections. But
he eventually agreed to give Dashnaktsutyun three ministerial posts
in his new cabinet without securing its commitment to endorsing his
presidential bid.
"Whoever runs for president, we are not an enemy of the Republican
Party," Hovannisian told reporters. "We are longtime partners. We
just have our approaches to many issues. We see different solutions
to those issues." He did not specify what those differences are.
Under the June 6 power-sharing agreement signed with the HHK and
the pro-Kocharian Prosperous Armenia Party, Dashnaktsutyun will
bear responsibility only for the policies and actions of the three
government ministers affiliated with it. This allowed the nationalist
party to further distance itself from Sarkisian's government while
retaining most of its power levers.