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PRE-ELECTION INTRIGUE: DASHNAKS THINK NON-PARTY MAN CAN BECOME SINGLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
13.07.12 | 13:15
The subject of a single candidate from the opposition at next
February's presidential election has been at the forefront of recent
internal political debate after the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF, Dashnaktsutyun) said following its General Meeting that while
it could field its own candidate, it offered to all opposition forces
to rally around the idea of a complete change of power and forming
a counterbalance to the current president's reelection bid.
Deputy representative of the ARF Executive Council of Armenia Arsen
Hambardzumyan believes that "the matter does not concern a nomination
of the candidate from the Armenian National Congress (ANC), the
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) or any other political force."
"It is possible that a non-party man will become that candidate,"
he said pointedly.
However, the idea does not seem to be supported by all. The Heritage
party has already announced that it will field its founding leader
Raffi Hovannisian as a candidate at the February 2013 presidential
election.
If the Armenian opposition manages to define the criteria around which
it will be able to unite during next year's presidential election,
it will become a great achievement in terms of political culture,
said head of the Heritage parliamentary faction Ruben Hakobyan. "Today
this matter is in a theoretical plane, as I don't see such a tendency
in practice. Rather, I see a reverse trend," he said. Hakobyan thinks
that the reality is that "everyone is talking about a single candidate
from the opposition, but sees their own candidates as such."
Spokesman for the leader of the ANC Arman Musinyan said that the ANC
is not currently in talks or consultations with other political forces
on the upcoming elections. Prosperous Armenia, too, said it hasn't
yet started discussions regarding the upcoming presidential election.
Surprisingly, a ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) representative
has spoken in favor of the opposition's consolidation.
Lawmaker Hovhannes Sahakyan said such consolidation of the political
opposition in Armenia will play a positive role and create a healthier
political environment. However, he noted that the recent statements
by opposition members suggest not everything was going smoothly in
that direction. "It seems unlikely to me that the opposition will be
able to consolidate its efforts. But if they succeed in doing that,
then it can only be welcomed," the RPA lawmaker said.
However, the ARF statement about the possibility of a single candidate
being nonpartisan has rekindled interest to the ongoing discussion.
Experts wonder who exactly the ARF politician bore in mind and tend
to think that this "non-partisan" candidate in Armenia is former
president Robert Kocharyan. Analysts believe the ARF and Prosperous
Armenia may support Kocharyan at next year's elections. The question
is whether the ANC will join them, for that would require a "great
reconciliation" between the first and second presidents of Armenia,
the ANC's leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan.
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
13.07.12 | 13:15
The subject of a single candidate from the opposition at next
February's presidential election has been at the forefront of recent
internal political debate after the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF, Dashnaktsutyun) said following its General Meeting that while
it could field its own candidate, it offered to all opposition forces
to rally around the idea of a complete change of power and forming
a counterbalance to the current president's reelection bid.
Deputy representative of the ARF Executive Council of Armenia Arsen
Hambardzumyan believes that "the matter does not concern a nomination
of the candidate from the Armenian National Congress (ANC), the
Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) or any other political force."
"It is possible that a non-party man will become that candidate,"
he said pointedly.
However, the idea does not seem to be supported by all. The Heritage
party has already announced that it will field its founding leader
Raffi Hovannisian as a candidate at the February 2013 presidential
election.
If the Armenian opposition manages to define the criteria around which
it will be able to unite during next year's presidential election,
it will become a great achievement in terms of political culture,
said head of the Heritage parliamentary faction Ruben Hakobyan. "Today
this matter is in a theoretical plane, as I don't see such a tendency
in practice. Rather, I see a reverse trend," he said. Hakobyan thinks
that the reality is that "everyone is talking about a single candidate
from the opposition, but sees their own candidates as such."
Spokesman for the leader of the ANC Arman Musinyan said that the ANC
is not currently in talks or consultations with other political forces
on the upcoming elections. Prosperous Armenia, too, said it hasn't
yet started discussions regarding the upcoming presidential election.
Surprisingly, a ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) representative
has spoken in favor of the opposition's consolidation.
Lawmaker Hovhannes Sahakyan said such consolidation of the political
opposition in Armenia will play a positive role and create a healthier
political environment. However, he noted that the recent statements
by opposition members suggest not everything was going smoothly in
that direction. "It seems unlikely to me that the opposition will be
able to consolidate its efforts. But if they succeed in doing that,
then it can only be welcomed," the RPA lawmaker said.
However, the ARF statement about the possibility of a single candidate
being nonpartisan has rekindled interest to the ongoing discussion.
Experts wonder who exactly the ARF politician bore in mind and tend
to think that this "non-partisan" candidate in Armenia is former
president Robert Kocharyan. Analysts believe the ARF and Prosperous
Armenia may support Kocharyan at next year's elections. The question
is whether the ANC will join them, for that would require a "great
reconciliation" between the first and second presidents of Armenia,
the ANC's leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan.