"PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE NOMINATED BY ARF DASHNAKTSUTIUN WILL BE MAIN RIVAL FOR CANDIDATE OF POWER COALITION," ARTASHES SHAHBAZIAN FORESEES

Noyan Tapan
Sep 6, 2007

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. ARF Dashnaktsutiun enjoys all the
possibilities to achieve success in the 2008 presidential elections
in terms of organizational potential and ideological programs. This
conviction was expressed by Artashes Shahbazian, the Secretary
of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun parliamentarian faction, at the press
conference held on September 6. In his prevision, the candidate of
the ARF Dashnaktsutiun to be nominated will be the main rival of the
candidate of the power coalition. In response to the question "What
chances do you have for winning Prime Minister Serge Sargsian?",
he gave a positive answer.

At the same time , he declared that irrespective of the results of the
elections, the ARF Dashnaktsutiun will continue to maintain normal,
"correct" relations with the Republican and Bargavatch Hajastan
(Prosperous Armenia) parties, which make part of the coalition. "I do
not exclude that we will continue to cooperate with those forces. If
parties are rivals, it does not mean that they should trample each
other," Artashes Shahbazian said.

He also added that the ARF Dashnaktsutiun regional institutions have
been conducting active discussions on the participation issue of
the party in the presidential elections throughout the summer and
at present as well. Those discussions, as A. Shahbazian mentioned,
once again prove that the ARF Dashnaktsutiun should have its own
candidate, and the latter, at the same time, should be a member of the
ARF Dashnaktsutiun faction, as well as have political experiance and
capacities for team work. A. Shahbazian refused to give names "in order
not to disorientate the ordinary members of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun."