VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN: ARFD IS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR BOTH AUTHORITIES AND OPPOSITION
Author: Karapetian Rita Editor: Eghian Robert
Noyan Tapan
Jun 18 2007
YEREVAN, JUNE 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Vahan Hovhannisian, the NA Vice-Speaker
anf ARFD Bureau member, stated at the June 18 meeting with journalists
that the ARFD, having signed a cooperation agreement with the two
pro-governmental parties, the RPA and the BH, is an alternative for
both the authorities and the opposition. In his words, Dashnaktsutiun
differs from the authorities in some program provisions, specialists,
style of working, and from the opposition in its style of criticizing
the authorities and causing disputes.
In V. Hovhannisian’s words, despite the disagreement with some
points of the government’s new program, the ARFD hopes to reach an
agreement with the government. In V. Hovhannisian’s words, though the
new government will only be acting for eight months, the government
program is being commissioned to a greater extent with long-term
purposes in mind. As he declared, the government to be formed after
the 2008 presidential elections will not essentially change the
program of the current government.
The NA Vice-Speaker said that even it the newly appointed President
of the country is not from the RPA, the parliamentary majority will
be RPA, therefore, there will be no shocks in the country. It would
be a different matter if the appearance of an RPA representative at
the President’s post could break the domestic political balance and
in this sense the "election of an ARFD member as a President would
be more convenient."
In V. Hovhannisian’s words, the influence of foreign political factors
on voters, compared with the parliamentary elections, is usually very
weak during the presidential elections. That is why the results of
the presidential elections can vastly differ from the parliamentary
elections, as a result of which the RPA received absolute majority
at parliament.