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Ex-Dashnak Leader Joins Opposition Party

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  • Ex-Dashnak Leader Joins Opposition Party

    EX-DASHNAK LEADER JOINS OPPOSITION PARTY

    Armenialiberty.org
    Wednesday, 28 April 2010 20:22

    ZharangutyunRFE/RL -- A former leading member of the Armenian
    Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) has joined a more radical
    opposition party that does not recognize the legitimacy of Armenia's
    current and previous presidents, it emerged on Wednesday.

    Ruben Hakobian aligned himself with the Zharangutyun (Heritage) party
    nearly two years after being expelled from Dashnaktsutyun following his
    public criticism of its activities. He was particularly unhappy with
    its decision to cut a power-sharing deal with President Serzh Sarkisian
    in the wake of the disputed February 2008 presidential election.

    Dashnaktsutyun, which had been allied to Sarkisian's predecessor
    Robert Kocharian throughout his decade-long rule, contested the vote
    with its own candidate, who campaigned on an opposition platform. It
    subsequently agreed to join a new governing coalition formed by
    Sarkisian. The influential party also defended a harsh post-election
    government crackdown on supporters of the main opposition candidate,
    Levon Ter-Petrosian.

    Hakobian, who had joined Dashnaktsutyun in 1990 and was at one point
    its top leader in Armenia, denounced this stance as "unprincipled"
    and said it only benefited Ter-Petrosian. He also called for the
    holding of fresh presidential and parliamentary elections.

    Hakobian on Wednesday declined to comment on his decision to
    join Zharangutyun, a party bitterly opposed to both Sarkisian and
    Kocharian. He said he will explain the move "in the coming days."

    According to Stepan Safarian, a senior Zharangutyun member, the
    decision "was not made in one day." He told RFE/RL's Armenian service
    that the party and Hakobian have a history of cooperation and share
    the same views on key issues facing the country.

    Dashnaktsutyun pulled out of the ruling coalition last year in protest
    against Sarkisian's conciliatory policy on Turkey. Unlike Zharangutyun
    and Ter-Petrosian's Armenian National Congress (HAK), it has not been
    pressing for the president's resignation and snap elections.
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