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HOVANNISIAN MULLS ELECTION BLOC WITH PRO-WESTERN OPPOSITIONISTS
By Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 19 2006
Armenia's U.S.-born former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian is
negotiating with leaders of three pro-Western opposition parties on the
possibility of forming an alliance ahead of next year's parliamentary
election, an aide confirmed on Saturday.
Vartan Khachatrian, a senior member of Hovannisian's Zharangutyun
(Heritage) party, said the ongoing talks are involving former
parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian's Orinats Yerkir party, Aram
Sarkisian's Hanrapetutyun as well as a smaller group called the
Liberal Progressive Party.
All three opposition forces favor Armenia's eventual withdrawal from
the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and accession
to NATO. Baghdasarian revealed his pro-Western orientation in an April
interview with a leading German newspaper which precipitated Orinats
Yerkir's removal from President Robert Kocharian's governing coalition.
The new opposition alliance would lead to a significant realignment
in the Armenian political arena and would be a major player in the
2007 election. Baghdasarian's resignation as parliament speaker
and his pullout from the governing coalition was welcomed by both
Zharangutyun and Hanrapetutyun. The latter is the most radical of
Armenian parties opposed to Kocharian, and it remains to be seen if
the extremely cautious ex-speaker will agree to join forces with it.
"We have always been ready to unite the [opposition] field to give
hope to the Armenian people," said Khachatrian.
But Khachatrian made it clear that Zharangutyun may well contest the
parliamentary polls on its own, arguing that Hovannisian is popular
enough to earn his party seats in the National Assembly. He said a
recent U.S.-funded opinion poll found that 74 percent of Armenians
think well of the former foreign minister.
Khachatrian also presented Zharangutyun's controversial ouster from
its government-owned offices in Yerevan as an indication that the
Armenian authorities see a serious threat to their hold on power
emanating from Hovannisian. His supporters believe that this was also
the reason why he had been controversially barred from standing in
the last presidential election.
(Photolur photo: Raffi Hovannisian.)
By Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 19 2006
Armenia's U.S.-born former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian is
negotiating with leaders of three pro-Western opposition parties on the
possibility of forming an alliance ahead of next year's parliamentary
election, an aide confirmed on Saturday.
Vartan Khachatrian, a senior member of Hovannisian's Zharangutyun
(Heritage) party, said the ongoing talks are involving former
parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian's Orinats Yerkir party, Aram
Sarkisian's Hanrapetutyun as well as a smaller group called the
Liberal Progressive Party.
All three opposition forces favor Armenia's eventual withdrawal from
the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and accession
to NATO. Baghdasarian revealed his pro-Western orientation in an April
interview with a leading German newspaper which precipitated Orinats
Yerkir's removal from President Robert Kocharian's governing coalition.
The new opposition alliance would lead to a significant realignment
in the Armenian political arena and would be a major player in the
2007 election. Baghdasarian's resignation as parliament speaker
and his pullout from the governing coalition was welcomed by both
Zharangutyun and Hanrapetutyun. The latter is the most radical of
Armenian parties opposed to Kocharian, and it remains to be seen if
the extremely cautious ex-speaker will agree to join forces with it.
"We have always been ready to unite the [opposition] field to give
hope to the Armenian people," said Khachatrian.
But Khachatrian made it clear that Zharangutyun may well contest the
parliamentary polls on its own, arguing that Hovannisian is popular
enough to earn his party seats in the National Assembly. He said a
recent U.S.-funded opinion poll found that 74 percent of Armenians
think well of the former foreign minister.
Khachatrian also presented Zharangutyun's controversial ouster from
its government-owned offices in Yerevan as an indication that the
Armenian authorities see a serious threat to their hold on power
emanating from Hovannisian. His supporters believe that this was also
the reason why he had been controversially barred from standing in
the last presidential election.
(Photolur photo: Raffi Hovannisian.)