KOCHARIAN HOPES FOR LOYAL PARLIAMENT
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
May 10 2007

President Robert Kocharian expressed hope late Thursday that Armenians
will hand political parties loyal to him a comfortable majority in
the parliament that will be elected on Saturday.

Kocharian predicted that none of them will win an absolute majority
of seats in the next National Assembly. He indicated his belief
that that Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK)
will win a plurality of votes in the elections.

"It is extremely important that the new parliament and the president
be able to cooperate," he told Armenia’s leading TV stations in
an interview. "If there is a confrontation between these two state
institutions, it is the people that will suffer."

"It is unlikely that one political force will have an absolute majority
and be able to single-handedly form a government," Kocharian said. "We
already have had a coalition government and there must be forces that
are capable of cooperating with each other."

"I believe it would be good if the Republican Party had a weighty
presence in parliament. They have both the experience and ability to
control the situation and would continue reforms with renewed vigor,"
he added.

Kocharian expressed hope that two other major pro-presidential parties,
Prosperous Armenia and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, will
also have a "serious presence" in the 131-seat legislature. He was
also hopeful that only the "constructive" segment of the Armenian
opposition will win parliament seats, hitting out at more radical
groups opposed to his rule.

Kocharian went on to insist that his administration has succeeded in
creating a level playing field for all election contenders. He also
said he and his administration will now bear little responsibility
for the conduct of the vote itself, arguing that most members of
various-level election commissions are appointed by the Armenian
parties represented in the outgoing parliament.