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REPUBLICAN PARTY MEMBERS SAY THEIR PARTY NEEDS NOT TO RIG THE MAY 12 VOTE
ARMENPRESS
May 04 2007
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Rafik Petrosian, chairman of the outgoing
parliament committee on legal affairs, said today his Republican
Party enjoys sufficient popular support to win the majority in the
next parliament and therefore it does not need to rig the May 12
elections. He claimed that the vote may be rigged by those small
opposition parties, which lack popular support.
Confronting a former interior minister Suren Abrahamian from
the radical opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party in 'public
debates,' when representatives of pro-government and opposition
parties are brought together for discussions of various topics,
Petrosian praised the Republican Party for 'successful resolution
of many pressing problems and improving many socioeconomic indices
since 1999.' Petrosian said after the elections the Republican Party
will undertake further reform of the political and economic sectors
and address improvement of his country fellows living conditions.
Petrosian, a lawyer by profession, explained his participation in the
elections in the same single-mandate constituency in which Abrahamian
is running, by saying that the parliament should have many skilled
lawyers, as is the case in many developed countries.
Suren Abrahamian said his party's main goal is to press for sweeping
changes, because ' we have learned from our meetings with ordinary
people that they too demand radical changes."
Petrosian said the calls of the radical opposition for toppling the
current regime down are unconstitutional and ineffective.
During a May 3 anti-government demonstration staged by the
Hanrapetutyun (Republic), New Times parties and the Impeachment
alliance their leaders told a several thousand crowd that it gets
ready for anti-government demonstrations, which they would stage if
the vote were rigged.
`If they (the authorities) try again to overlook our will, if they
violate our rights again, if they again ignore us, there will be one
thing for us to do... We shall rise up and gather in this square on
May 13. We will march ahead of you, we won' hesitate, we won't run
away, we won't get scared,' Hanrapetutyun leader Aram Sarkisian said
to the crowd.
In another related news another member of the Republican Party,
Armen Ashotian, said the more closer the polling day is the less
enthusiastic are the majority of 23 parties contesting the May 12
elections. He praised the former ruling Armenian National Movement
(ANM) for bowing out of the race, saying it is the only party that
displayed respect to its supporters.
Late last week the ANM said it decided to drop out of the elections
' in order to reduce the confusing abundance of parties which are in
opposition or claim to be in opposition to Kocharian's administration"
and called on voters to cast their ballots in favor of 2-3 'true
opposition parties."
In a covert reference to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armen
Ashotian slammed its populist promises of raising minimum wages and
pensions three times in several months, saying this party not only
voted for 2007 budget earlier this year but also spoke very highly of
it describing it 'as a big step towards reducing the shadowed economy
sector and resolution of social problems."
ARMENPRESS
May 04 2007
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Rafik Petrosian, chairman of the outgoing
parliament committee on legal affairs, said today his Republican
Party enjoys sufficient popular support to win the majority in the
next parliament and therefore it does not need to rig the May 12
elections. He claimed that the vote may be rigged by those small
opposition parties, which lack popular support.
Confronting a former interior minister Suren Abrahamian from
the radical opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party in 'public
debates,' when representatives of pro-government and opposition
parties are brought together for discussions of various topics,
Petrosian praised the Republican Party for 'successful resolution
of many pressing problems and improving many socioeconomic indices
since 1999.' Petrosian said after the elections the Republican Party
will undertake further reform of the political and economic sectors
and address improvement of his country fellows living conditions.
Petrosian, a lawyer by profession, explained his participation in the
elections in the same single-mandate constituency in which Abrahamian
is running, by saying that the parliament should have many skilled
lawyers, as is the case in many developed countries.
Suren Abrahamian said his party's main goal is to press for sweeping
changes, because ' we have learned from our meetings with ordinary
people that they too demand radical changes."
Petrosian said the calls of the radical opposition for toppling the
current regime down are unconstitutional and ineffective.
During a May 3 anti-government demonstration staged by the
Hanrapetutyun (Republic), New Times parties and the Impeachment
alliance their leaders told a several thousand crowd that it gets
ready for anti-government demonstrations, which they would stage if
the vote were rigged.
`If they (the authorities) try again to overlook our will, if they
violate our rights again, if they again ignore us, there will be one
thing for us to do... We shall rise up and gather in this square on
May 13. We will march ahead of you, we won' hesitate, we won't run
away, we won't get scared,' Hanrapetutyun leader Aram Sarkisian said
to the crowd.
In another related news another member of the Republican Party,
Armen Ashotian, said the more closer the polling day is the less
enthusiastic are the majority of 23 parties contesting the May 12
elections. He praised the former ruling Armenian National Movement
(ANM) for bowing out of the race, saying it is the only party that
displayed respect to its supporters.
Late last week the ANM said it decided to drop out of the elections
' in order to reduce the confusing abundance of parties which are in
opposition or claim to be in opposition to Kocharian's administration"
and called on voters to cast their ballots in favor of 2-3 'true
opposition parties."
In a covert reference to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armen
Ashotian slammed its populist promises of raising minimum wages and
pensions three times in several months, saying this party not only
voted for 2007 budget earlier this year but also spoke very highly of
it describing it 'as a big step towards reducing the shadowed economy
sector and resolution of social problems."