ACCORDING TO CHAIRMAN OF NA COMMITTEE ON STATE AND LEGAL ISSUES, BY “ORINATS YERKIR” PARTY’S LEAVING, COALITION STOPS FUNCTIONING
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The main reason of the situation
created in the rulling coalition are disagreements existing not
among the coalition parties but between National Assembly Speaker
Artur Baghdasarian and country President Robert Kocharian. Grigor
Haroutiunian, a member of the NA “Ardaroutiun” faction, an
administration member of the People’s Party of Armenia expressed such
an opinion at the May 16 dispute organized at the “Hayeli” club. He
reminded that in the interview given to the German newpaper Artur
Baghdasarian said that the 2003 elections were falsified, what,
according to Haroutiunian, means that the country President is
not legitimate. At the same time, the Speaker did not exclude that
the happened may be a result of “rulling plays” as well, “as one
may expect everything from these authorities.” According to Grigor
Haroutiunian, the political field has not been completed in Armenia
as there are no conditions for it in the country. “If anybody thinks
that the political forces decide the future of Armenia, he is sadly
mistaken. The Karabakh clan leads the coutry policy in the face of
Robert Kocharian,” the opposing deputy stated. According to him,
the fact that businessmen, ministers and even the Deputy Chairman of
the party leave the “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law) party, again
proves the fact of the political field’s not being completed.
According to Haroutiunian, time will show how the OYK activity will
be in the opposition field. He mentioned that coalitional political
forces “did everything together” and must repent, after what the
people will decide to accept it or not. According to the speaker, if
the OYK proves that it is really opposing and really strives to change
anything in the country, then it is not excluded that the People’s
Party of Armenia will cooperate with that party. Rafik Petrosian,
a republican member of the “People’s Deputy” group, the Chairman of
the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Issues, mentioned that
being a part of the authorities, the OYK must function according to the
Constitution, according to Article 55 of which issues of the foreign
policy are in competence of the President of the republic. According
to Petrosian, this innerpolitical process started from Baghdasarian’s
statement concerning the most important issue of the foreign policy
of Armenia. This step which was also a violation of norms of the
political ethics, was criticized by other members of the coalition
and as a result, it became a reason for the Parliament Speaker’s
resignation. According to Petrosian, the problem is not so much the
statement made about the Eurointegration of Armenia as the one that
Baghdasarian accused Russia of obstacling Armenia in that issue. “One
must not speak in that language with great states,” the speaker
mentioned. Petrosian stated that the Republican Party was interested
that the coalition continues functioning. But by the “Orinats Yerkir”
party’s leaving, the coalition stops functioning: according to the
lawyer, it is envsaged by the coalition memorandum. Petrosian mentioned
that after the “Orinats Yerkir” party’s leaving, the RPA and ARF must
form a new coalition together, and if a third political force joins
them, it will aslo be registered legally and a new coalition will
be created.