DEFECTORS FROM ORINATS YERKIR FORM NEW GROUP

Armenpress
May 25 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS: Ten parliament members who have defected
from the embattled Orinats Yerkir party of the outgoing parliament
chairman Arthur Baghdasarian, have formed a new parliamentary
non-partisan group, it emerged today. Only one defector, Melik
Manukian, refused to join the group which its founders named
“Businessman.”

All of the ten deputies are wealthy businessmen.

They defected from Orinats Yerkir’s parliament faction just in few
days, hastening Baghdasarian’s resignation and his party’s pullout
from the governing coalition.

One of the defectors, Grigor Margarian, was elected head of the group.

Under the existing National Assembly statutes, a non-partisan
group must have at least ten deputies in order to have an official
status. The 131-member assembly has already one such group, the
People’s Deputy, that holds 16 seats.