OPPOSITIONIST POLITICIAN DOES NOT DRAW PARALLELS BETWEEN ARMENIAN SPEAKER AND GEORGIAN PRESIDENT

Yerevan, May 16. ArmInfo. “The speaker of the Armenian Parliament,
Arthur Baghdasaryan, and the symbol of the rose revolution Mikhail
Sahakashvili have similar height, however, I cannot speak of other
parameters,” Vazgen Manukyan, Chairman of National Democratic Union
opposition party, said at a press conference, Tuesday.

He said M. Sahakashvili differs from his forerunner Eduard Shevardnadze
only by “more successful management of the Central Committee,” but no
real progress has been observed in democratic processes. The upcoming
days will become a strength test for “Orinats Yerkir” party led by
the speaker as “it is one thing having 60,000 party men when in power,
and it is quite another thing when in the opposition.” As regards the
refusal of the ministers representing “OY” from fulfilling the party
Board’s demand to resign, V. Manukyan said “there are so many materials
compromising Education Minister Sergo Yeritsyan and other ministers
representing ‘OY’ that they have become easy governed.” Whereas,
“Athur Baghdasaryan is a young politicians who has not received
serious blows so far, the time will show if he will become stronger
under blows or he will fail,” V. Manukyan said.

On the whole, NDU leader thinks the party’s withdrawal will stop the
activity of the political coalition as when formed, the coalition
did not envisage a two- party format. He assured journalists that
the opposition should not welcome the speaker’s resignation like
“white-emigrants” should not have welcomed the settling of political
scores with Zinovyev and Bukharin under Stalin.