NEW GOVERNMENT’S SHAPE TO BE CLEAR BY THE END OF MAY

Armenpress
May 15 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS: Eduard Sharmazanov, a press secretary
of the Republican Party, that won the plurality of seats in the
new parliament, said it will start negotiations with other parties
which have also won seats in the parliament, over formation of a new
government after the Central Election Commissions announces the final
results of the weekend polls.

He said what a shape the new government will have will be clear by
May 31. Sharmazanov also praised the May 12 ballot as ‘the best in
Armenia’s recent independent history."

"The results of the elections showed that the majority of people link
the resolution of their problems and their future to the Republican
Party and prime minister Serzh Sarkisian, who is chairman of its
political council… Naturally the Republican Party will nominate Serzh
Sarkisian as its candidate for next year’s presidential election,"
he said, adding, however, that the final say belongs to Sarkisian.

According to preliminary calculation, the Republican Party will control
64-65 mandates in the 131-member National Assembly, which Sharmazanov
said is quite enough for the party not to seek a coalition government..

"However, this is not our goal and the Republican Party is prepared
to cooperate with all those parties who do not look at representation
in the government as an end in itself," he said.