VAZGEN MANUKIAN: “THERE IS NO COALITION FROM FORMAL POINT OF VIEW”

Noyan Tapan
May 16 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. There is no coalition from the
formal viewpoint, as, according to one of the points of their
agreement, by one of member parties’ leaving, the coalition is
supposed to be liquidated. Vazgen Manukian, the Chairman of the
National Democratic Union expressed such an opinion at the May 16
press-conference. According to him, any separation (the “Orinats
Yerkir” (Country of Law) party’s leaving the coalition: “NT”)
brings some weakness into the rulling system. Manukian finds that
the Republic Party of Armenia makes use of the given situation, and
it is a “intimate situation” for the ARF Dashnaktsutiun. According
to Vazgen Manukian, it was decided for some reasons that National
Assembly Speaker, “Orinats Yerkir” party head Artur Baghdasarian
must be punished, and people engaged in business from the inside of
the party were easily obliged to leave the party. Thus, it shows that
“we live in a state the government system of which is the same Soviet
Union system, with a bit more “riff-raff” forms.” “And the country
may not develop with such a government, he emphasized.” According
to V.Manukian, the whole society must be anxious that this way of
government is destructive for the country. And it is necessary to
create a public movement to change this form, where not only parties
but the society, intellectuals, businessmen as well must unite. In
responce to the question if the “Orinats Yerkir” party may occupy
a place in the opposing field, the NDU Chairman said that places
of the authorities are limited, of the opposition are unlimited:
“So that, anybody may find his place in the opposition. The life
will show if Artur Baghdasarian will be able to find his place in
that field.” According to Manukian, it is sensible to cooperate in
the opposing field, if a public, political field is created as a
result of that cooperation. As for the NDU’s participation in the
coming elections, Manukian mentioned that if the electoral system of
Armenia continues to remain alike its present state, they will not
participate in any election.