GOVERNMENT GRABS OPPOSITION’S VOTES

Lragir.am
17 May 06

Let the opposition not be happy about the secession of the Orinats
Yerkir Party from the coalition and government divide, said Vazgen
Manukyan, the leader of the National Democratic Union, May 16. He
says this case does not mean the system has changed. “Yes, if such
cases are many, they certainly influence the government, but the
system has not changed, it is the same,” says Vazgen Manukyan.

According to him, it is difficult to tell now if Orinats Yerkir is
opposition or not. Vazgen Manukyan says if it is not in the government,
it is opposition, but everything depends on their activities. The
leader of the National Democratic Union says the place of this party
in the opposition will be determined by the next steps of the Orinats
Yerkir Party, emphasizing that there is not a question of accepting
or rejecting.

“If the places in the government are limited, the places of the
opposition are not limited. Therefore anyone can find their place in
the opposition and there are no guards like in the government, there
are no chiefs to decide who is going to be in this wing or that wing.

Arthur Baghdasaryan is still young and he has not received blows.

After a blow a person either breaks down or becomes stronger. Life will
show whether he will be able to find his place in the opposition. But
this is the problem that he must solve,” says Vazgen Manukyan.

Vazgen Manukyan is willing to cooperate with all the opposition forces,
if the goal of this cooperation is not going to be battle against a
person but development of a civil society in Armenia. The leader of
the National Democratic Union does not think that Arthur Baghdasaryan
is likely to win over the opposition’s votes. Vazgen Manukyan believes
that the government grabs the votes of the opposition, not this or that
opposition force. The leader of the National Democratic Union says
the entrance of new people into the opposition is free, and the more
people appear in the political sphere, the better. But Vazgen Manukyan
also says what we have is quite enough, all we have to do is choose.