REPUBLICANS EYE VICTORY IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE
By Hovannes Shoghikian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug 15 2007

A senior member of the ruling party has put beyond all doubt the
victory of their candidate in next year’s presidential elections.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday MP Galust Sahakian of the Republican
Party of Armenia (HHK) said everyone "should put up with the thought
that the Republicans will have their crucial role in the upcoming
presidential election and will have their candidate elected president."

"All other issues can be solved in the political field through
cooperation," he added vaguely.

Sahakian described as ‘finicality’ the ongoing consultations among
opposition leaders and predicted that their efforts to agree on a
single candidate would end in nothing.

The HHK member gives the opposition leaders a chance to put up some
struggle only if they manage to use effectively the quarter of the
popular vote that they received during last May’s parliamentary
elections.

"It is accepted in Armenia that if someone is a party leader, he can
be a presidential candidate. There is no such thing," Sahakian said,
adding that the opposition cannot expect to receive any significant
popular support under the given "political condition."

Sahakian admitted that he feels ‘very bad’ when opposition forces
speculate on the name of Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosian
ahead of the presidential election, but added: "Of course, if Levon
Ter-Petrosian is nominated, our strategy will change a little, but
the result will be the same."