HOVANNISIAN ‘READY’ TO COOPERATE WITH GOVERNMENT
By Hovannes Shoghikian and Shakeh Avoyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 22 2007
The opposition Zharangutyun (Heritage) party of Raffi Hovannisian is
ready to cooperate with the pro-government majority in Armenia’s newly
elected parliament despite its allegations of massive vote rigging,
aides said on Tuesday.
Hovsep Khurshudian, the party spokesman, said Zharangutyun is ready
to help the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and other parliamentary
forces loyal to President Robert Kocharian implement policies that
would "benefit the public." But he stressed that that is contingent
on the acceptance of seven parliament seats allotted won by the party
as a result of the May 12 elections.
"The decision on whether or not to enter the parliament has yet to
be made," he told a news conference.
Larisa Alaverdian, whose name was second on the list of the party’s
election candidates, confirmed the widely held belief that that
decision will be positive. "As a member of the Zharangutyun faction
[in parliament,] I believe we must not be antagonistic towards
thinking and sound forces that are part of the Republican Party or
the Prosperous Armenia Party, even though I continue to believe that
they were not eligible [to contest the elections,]" she told RFE/RL.
Zharangutyun is one of the two opposition parties that cleared the 5
percent vote barrier to be represented in the new National Assembly
under the system of proportional representation. According to the
Central Election Commission (CEC), it garnered just over 81,000 votes
or about 7 percent of the total.
Hovannisian dismissed the official results as fraudulent last week,
saying that in reality his party got three times as many votes.
Still, he made it clear that he will not boycott parliament sessions
or join more radical opposition groups that are contesting the election
results in the streets.
Karen Avagian, a senior member of the HHK, found this stance
hypocritical. "If you cast doubt on the [legality of the] election
results, you must give up your mandates," he said. He also shrugged
off Zharangutyun claims that it polled 250,000 votes as a "ploy"
designed to boost its political clout.
Nonetheless, Avagian was confident that Hovannisian will be in
"constructive opposition" to the Armenian authorities. The U.S.-born
politicians can, in particular, help them implement "democratic
reforms," he said.
Khurshudian also confirmed that Zharangutyun will not appeal against
the CEC figures in Armenia’s Constitutional Court, saying that it lacks
"sufficient legal grounds" to demand their annulment. He said at the
same time that it does have some evidence of fraud that could be of
use to other opposition parties that are planning to appeal to the
Constitutional Court.
"We are already to present those facts to any other party that will
approach us," Khurshudian said, adding that they have already been
made available to the radical Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
