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BROUHAHA FROM BRUSSELS: TSARUKYAN COMMENTS MAY BE LAST WORD ON RPA-PAP RELATIONS
By John Hughes
Photo: Youtube video screenshot
ArmeniaNow Chief Editor
Debate over the approaching presidential election in Armenia has amped
up significantly this week, focusing on the fraying relationship
between tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and
the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), led by President Serzh
Sargsyan.
As recently as six months ago, PAP held ministerial positions in
Sargsyan's Government and was maintaining its position as a member of
the ruling coalition whose three-member parties (Orinats Yerkir being
the lesser third) had sworn allegiance to a Sargsyan second term. In
February 2011, PAP signed a memorandum avowing to not contest the
incumbent.
Now, however, PAP - following its mandate of 37 seats in the National
Assembly in last May's parliamentary election - has declared itself an
"alternative force", not fully siding with Armenia's opposition (led
by the Armenian National Congress and Levon Ter-Pertrosyan), while
nearly daily distancing itself from the ruling regime.
A visit to Brussels earlier this week, led by Tsarukyan and including
Prosperous Armenia MP and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan
Oskanian, may have driven the widest wedge yet between Armenia's two
biggest parties and appears to signal PAP's intention to renege on its
commitment to Sargsyan and, instead, field its own presidential
candidate to stand for election in February.
When Oskanian re-entered public politics by joining PAP last spring,
common speculation was that the former FM was setting himself up for a
run at the presidency, backed by the financial support of
multi-millionaire Tsarukyan, and with the blessing of two-term
president Robert Kocharyan, the perceived "godfather" of the party.
Oskanian, however, has been beset by criminal charges of money
laundering (related to misappropriation of funds at the Civilitas
Foundation which Oskanian founded after leaving office in 2008) that,
on the surface, appear to be thinly-veiled political persecution by
the Sargsyan administration of whom Oskanian has been a vocal critic.
Beginning in summer, whispers of a Tsarukyan candidacy begin to spread
that have now become national conversation as Oskanian, himself, has
excluded himself from his party's nomination and has said that, should
PAP tender a candidate, it should be Tsarukyan.
Tsarukyan himself has coyly deflected questions on his intentions.
But when, on Tuesday, Tsarukyan led his team to Brussels - the seat of
the European Union - for meetings with EU officials and lawmakers, the
move was seen in Armenia as a possible prelude to an announcement of
his candidacy. PAP had said it would announce its position on the
election by December 3. However it delayed any news, saying now that
an announcement would be forthcoming next week.
While in Brussels, the PAP boss and former World Armwrestling Champion
ripped the Sargsyan government in comments to EU officials, reportedly
telling Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca, a deputy speaker of the European
Parliament, that there should be no expectation of curtailing
corruption in Armenia so long as the country itself was led by corrupt
(i.e. Sargsyan, et. al.) authorities.
Vidal-Quadras Roca emerged from the meeting with the summation that
Tsarukyan - who made news in the May elections when it was reported
that he kept a pistol in his considerable waistband during campaign
visits - would make a "superb" presidential candidate, based on his
"human and optimistic" traits.
Tsarukyan's comments sparked rage from RPA on Thursday, as party
spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov called Tsarukyan's words "shameful".
In an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am),
Sharmazanov lashed out at Tsarukyan, calling PAP an "artificial force"
and saying that his (Sharmazanov's) party could skewer Tsarukyan if it
chose to by reminding that even European deputies see PAP as a party
that has gained power solely because of Tsarukyan's "populist
policies".
If it chose to, Sharmazanov said, his party could attack Tsarukyan by
revealing that "according to some European deputies, the Prosperous
Armenia Party leader has very scant knowledge of international
politics and current political affairs in general."
Meanwhile, Oskanian said that the Brussels trip would "in no way"
influence PAP's presidential aspirations. He also refuted the view
that the trip was to solicit support of the European authorities.
Oskanian claims that the officials in Brussels initiated conversation
on the pending presidential elections "because they know that
Prosperous Armenia is quite a strong party".
http://armenianow.com/news/41765/prosperous_armenia_party_gagik_tsarukyan_oskanian_ brussels_trip
By John Hughes
Photo: Youtube video screenshot
ArmeniaNow Chief Editor
Debate over the approaching presidential election in Armenia has amped
up significantly this week, focusing on the fraying relationship
between tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan's Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) and
the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), led by President Serzh
Sargsyan.
As recently as six months ago, PAP held ministerial positions in
Sargsyan's Government and was maintaining its position as a member of
the ruling coalition whose three-member parties (Orinats Yerkir being
the lesser third) had sworn allegiance to a Sargsyan second term. In
February 2011, PAP signed a memorandum avowing to not contest the
incumbent.
Now, however, PAP - following its mandate of 37 seats in the National
Assembly in last May's parliamentary election - has declared itself an
"alternative force", not fully siding with Armenia's opposition (led
by the Armenian National Congress and Levon Ter-Pertrosyan), while
nearly daily distancing itself from the ruling regime.
A visit to Brussels earlier this week, led by Tsarukyan and including
Prosperous Armenia MP and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan
Oskanian, may have driven the widest wedge yet between Armenia's two
biggest parties and appears to signal PAP's intention to renege on its
commitment to Sargsyan and, instead, field its own presidential
candidate to stand for election in February.
When Oskanian re-entered public politics by joining PAP last spring,
common speculation was that the former FM was setting himself up for a
run at the presidency, backed by the financial support of
multi-millionaire Tsarukyan, and with the blessing of two-term
president Robert Kocharyan, the perceived "godfather" of the party.
Oskanian, however, has been beset by criminal charges of money
laundering (related to misappropriation of funds at the Civilitas
Foundation which Oskanian founded after leaving office in 2008) that,
on the surface, appear to be thinly-veiled political persecution by
the Sargsyan administration of whom Oskanian has been a vocal critic.
Beginning in summer, whispers of a Tsarukyan candidacy begin to spread
that have now become national conversation as Oskanian, himself, has
excluded himself from his party's nomination and has said that, should
PAP tender a candidate, it should be Tsarukyan.
Tsarukyan himself has coyly deflected questions on his intentions.
But when, on Tuesday, Tsarukyan led his team to Brussels - the seat of
the European Union - for meetings with EU officials and lawmakers, the
move was seen in Armenia as a possible prelude to an announcement of
his candidacy. PAP had said it would announce its position on the
election by December 3. However it delayed any news, saying now that
an announcement would be forthcoming next week.
While in Brussels, the PAP boss and former World Armwrestling Champion
ripped the Sargsyan government in comments to EU officials, reportedly
telling Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca, a deputy speaker of the European
Parliament, that there should be no expectation of curtailing
corruption in Armenia so long as the country itself was led by corrupt
(i.e. Sargsyan, et. al.) authorities.
Vidal-Quadras Roca emerged from the meeting with the summation that
Tsarukyan - who made news in the May elections when it was reported
that he kept a pistol in his considerable waistband during campaign
visits - would make a "superb" presidential candidate, based on his
"human and optimistic" traits.
Tsarukyan's comments sparked rage from RPA on Thursday, as party
spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov called Tsarukyan's words "shameful".
In an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am),
Sharmazanov lashed out at Tsarukyan, calling PAP an "artificial force"
and saying that his (Sharmazanov's) party could skewer Tsarukyan if it
chose to by reminding that even European deputies see PAP as a party
that has gained power solely because of Tsarukyan's "populist
policies".
If it chose to, Sharmazanov said, his party could attack Tsarukyan by
revealing that "according to some European deputies, the Prosperous
Armenia Party leader has very scant knowledge of international
politics and current political affairs in general."
Meanwhile, Oskanian said that the Brussels trip would "in no way"
influence PAP's presidential aspirations. He also refuted the view
that the trip was to solicit support of the European authorities.
Oskanian claims that the officials in Brussels initiated conversation
on the pending presidential elections "because they know that
Prosperous Armenia is quite a strong party".
http://armenianow.com/news/41765/prosperous_armenia_party_gagik_tsarukyan_oskanian_ brussels_trip