ARMENIAN OPPOSITION VIGOROUSLY CAMPAIGNING IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 26 2007
YEREVAN, February 26. /ARKA/. Armenian opposition is vigorously
campaigning in parliamentary elections for the first time, Arthur
Baghdasaryan, Orinats Yerkir opposition party leader and former speaker
of Armenian National Assembly, said Thursday at a press conference.
He said he had no intention to run in individual race though adding
that the party would make final decision.
In his words, Orinats Yerkir intends to win seats in National Assembly
through party lists and is going to race alone, without joining any
alliance, because the party is opposed to artificial alliances.
Baghdasaryan said the authorities have imposed the idea of alliance
on the opposition in an apparent attempt to incapacitate the latter
by removing key rivals.
As a whole, he said, parties should gradually develop into mergers
and small-scale parties should unite over common programs.
After 2003 parliamentary elections Orinats Yerkir became a member of
three-headed ruling coalition along with two other governing parties –
Republican Party and Dashnaktsutyun.
However, in May 2006, Orinats Yerkir quitted it because discord
with its fellow coalition member parties over some issues related to
democracy and foreign policy.