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ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTY RENEWS CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT'S RESIGNATION IN WAKE OF RECENT SCANDALS
http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/47489/armenian_national_congress_government_resignation
POLITICS | 09.07.13 | 09:30
A major opposition party in Armenia remains unconvinced by the
explanations of the government regarding the recent corruption and
other scandals and wants the authorities to step down.
In a statement released following its Board's meeting last weekend,
the Armenian National Congress (ANC) said that the recent revelations
of state budget misappropriations and corruption cases involving
senior members of the government were more than enough not only for
the resignation of the government and senior members of the country's
leadership, but also for an 'entire change of power' in the country.
In its statement the ANC addressed the report by the Control Chamber
claiming that a considerable amount of public spending in the spheres
of construction and state purchases was misappropriated by officials
or was at risk of being misappropriated. It also referred to the
so-called 'offshore scandal' around Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
as well as the allegedly unpublicized agreement with Russia on the
increase in natural gas prices that was not made public until after
the election cycle in Armenia.
"The government has not provided any founded explanations regarding
these three scandalous facts. Moreover, it could not do so since we
deal with indisputable, real facts," the ANC said.
The opposition party represented by a small faction in the National
Assembly pledged "to continue to reveal the criminal essence and
manner of action of the regime and create a public and political
atmosphere that will lead to [President] Serzh Sargsyan's resignation."
Last week senior ANC member Levon Zurabyan said that they saw
sufficient grounds for impeaching the president over what the
opposition regards as an instance of overt pressure on Control Chamber
Chairman Ishkhan Zakharyan. Zurabyan said since the Control Chamber is
an independent body by the Constitution, scolding its head and trying
to interfere in its work is a violation of the country's basic laws.
Meanwhile, representatives of the ruling Republican Party last week
did not exclude that changes would be made in the law on the Control
Chamber in order to make the scope of its powers more definite.
Earlier, the president and the prime minister accused the Control
Chamber's chairman of overstepping his powers by making political
statements instead of just presenting facts in his annual report.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.armenianow.com/news/politics/47489/armenian_national_congress_government_resignation
POLITICS | 09.07.13 | 09:30
A major opposition party in Armenia remains unconvinced by the
explanations of the government regarding the recent corruption and
other scandals and wants the authorities to step down.
In a statement released following its Board's meeting last weekend,
the Armenian National Congress (ANC) said that the recent revelations
of state budget misappropriations and corruption cases involving
senior members of the government were more than enough not only for
the resignation of the government and senior members of the country's
leadership, but also for an 'entire change of power' in the country.
In its statement the ANC addressed the report by the Control Chamber
claiming that a considerable amount of public spending in the spheres
of construction and state purchases was misappropriated by officials
or was at risk of being misappropriated. It also referred to the
so-called 'offshore scandal' around Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
as well as the allegedly unpublicized agreement with Russia on the
increase in natural gas prices that was not made public until after
the election cycle in Armenia.
"The government has not provided any founded explanations regarding
these three scandalous facts. Moreover, it could not do so since we
deal with indisputable, real facts," the ANC said.
The opposition party represented by a small faction in the National
Assembly pledged "to continue to reveal the criminal essence and
manner of action of the regime and create a public and political
atmosphere that will lead to [President] Serzh Sargsyan's resignation."
Last week senior ANC member Levon Zurabyan said that they saw
sufficient grounds for impeaching the president over what the
opposition regards as an instance of overt pressure on Control Chamber
Chairman Ishkhan Zakharyan. Zurabyan said since the Control Chamber is
an independent body by the Constitution, scolding its head and trying
to interfere in its work is a violation of the country's basic laws.
Meanwhile, representatives of the ruling Republican Party last week
did not exclude that changes would be made in the law on the Control
Chamber in order to make the scope of its powers more definite.
Earlier, the president and the prime minister accused the Control
Chamber's chairman of overstepping his powers by making political
statements instead of just presenting facts in his annual report.
From: A. Papazian