DEMIRCHIAN AIDE ADMITS KEY CONDITION FOR OPPOSITION BLOC
By Hovannes Shoghikian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
March 7 2007

A top aide to Stepan Demirchian admitted on Wednesday that
disagreements over who should run for president next year were a
key reason why he refused to form an electoral alliance with several
other opposition leaders.

Demirchian’s talks with them broke down late last month due to a
number of preconditions that were reportedly set by President Robert
Kocharian’s main challenger during the 2003 presidential ballot.

According to opposition sources cited by the media, the chairman
of the People’s Party of Armenia (HZhK) demanded that the would-be
opposition bloc endorse his 2008 presidential run.

Grigor Harutiunian, the number two figure in the HZhK, essentially
confirmed this. "I am stating officially that no specific names
were discussed in connection with 2008," he told reporters. "Stepan
Demirchian’s approaches were as follows: the 2007 parliamentary
elections will be followed by the presidential election of 2008,
and it would be illogical if leaders making up the alliance contest
the presidential election separately."

Harutiunian insisted that this did not constitute an explicit demand
to nominate Demirchian for the presidency. Still, the would-be bloc’s
single presidential candidate would presumably be the man topping
the list of its candidates for the May 12 parliamentary elections.

Demirchian has made no secret of his desire to occupy the top spot,
something which did not sit well with his opposition partners who
also plan presidential runs. At least one of them, Vazgen Manukian,
wanted the bloc to have a collective leadership.

Harutiunian acknowledged that the HZhK also demanded that at least
half of the bloc’s electoral slate be reserved for members of his
party, another reason why the opposition deal fell through. "We could
have demanded more than 50 percent," he said. "During all these years
the HZhK has strengthened its structures, while others have not. Why
should it have been otherwise?"

Manukian’s National Democratic Union (AZhM) and three other parties
failed to cut a deal even without the HZhK, reportedly for similar
reasons. The opposition discord is expected to play into the hands
of Kocharian and his loyalists on election day.