Resignations not to weaken opposition party – Armenian politician

Arminfo
3 Sep 05

Yerevan, 3 September: The opposition Anrapetutyun [Republic] Party
will hold an extraordinary congress in late September or early October
this year, the member of the party’s political board, Gegam Arutyunyan,
said during a press conference at the Azdak Press Club today.

He stressed that the conduct of the congress is not linked to the
resignation of seven members of the party’s political board. “The
decision to hold the extraordinary session was adopted long before the
resignation of the seven members of the political board. Initially,
we intended to discuss at the congress the further strategic steps
of the party in the sphere of implementing a democratic revolution,
however, taking into account the latest events, we will also discuss
the current internal situation in the party and elect its political
board,” Arutyunyan said.

There is no turmoil in the Anrapetutyun Party after the resignation
of the seven members of the political board, Arutyunyan pointed out.
He expressed his confidence that the resignation of the seven members
of the political board will not lead to a mass exodus. Moreover,
[ex-Prime Minister] Albert Bazeyan and his supporters themselves
will not prompt a mass exodus from the Anrapetutyun Party, Arutyunyan
maintains.

He said that members of the party do not condemn their former
colleagues, but only express their regret about their decision.
Arutyunyan found it difficult to explain the reason for the decision of
the seven members of the political board to leave the party, however,
he confidently said that this decision was not adopted on the basis
of their political ambitions or under pressure from some internal or
foreign forces. He stressed that the decision of the seven members of
the political board to leave the Anrapetutyun Party will not weaken
the positions of the party or the Justice bloc, of which the party
is a member.

“The authorities will not manage to split the Anrapetutyun Party or
the opposition in general. The authorities’ attempts to split the
opposition failed when the opposition unanimously said “no” to draft
constitutional amendments,” Arutyunyan said.

[Passage omitted: Arutyunyan comments on Bazeyan’s statement that
the party is making unrealistic plans]