ARMENIAN OPPOSITION COULD HAVE MORE SEATS IF CONSOLIDATED – PARTY LEADER

Arminfo
15 May 07

Yerevan, 15 May: The Armenian opposition could have 30 per cent in
the fourth parliament if it had not vaporized its votes due to the
personal ambitions of some of their leaders and had consolidated
in the election, Vahan Hovhannisyan, a member of the ARF [Armenian
Revolutionary Federation] Dashnaktsutyun and deputy speaker of
parliament, told a news conference today.

"The counting of votes gained by the opposition forces shows that they
received 30 per cent of the votes but because of the opposition’s
disunity, only two of them, Orinats Yerkir with 6.9 per cent and
Heritage with 5.8 per cent made it to the parliament. I think this
will be a good lesson for the opposition," he said.

He also considered it interesting that a pro-Western opposition force
has come to replace the pro-Russian opposition in parliament. "This
indicates a shift in Armenian society’s foreign orientation. I spoke
about this trend a few months ago," Hovhannisyan said. He also ruled
out a possible escalation of the situation in the post-election period.