ULP ENDORSES TER-PETROSYAN AND SERGE SARGSYAN, AND WILL REFUSE DASHNAKTSUTYUN

Lragir.am
20-09-2007 15:49:34

The leader of the United Labor Party Gurgen Arsenyan stated September
20 at the Pastark Club the party will not put up a candidate to the
presidential election. As to whom the party will be supporting, he
said the party will decide when the nominees and their platforms
become known. The ULP only said they support liberal ideas, and the
socialists need not expect support from the ULP. Perhaps he means the
ARF Dashnaktsutyun. By the way, the reporters asked what the leader of
the ULP would do if the ARF’s candidate were elected and offered him a
ministerial post. Arsenyan ruled out such offer and said he would
decline it.

The attempts of the reporters to push the ULP to state to support
Serge Sargsyan failed. Gurgen Arsenyan said he had endorsed Sargsyan’s
nomination as prime minister, but he will not say to support anyone
for presidency. He repeated that he waits to see the programs of the
candidates. As to Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s nomination, Gurgen Arsenyan
says the ex-president is supposed to make a decision and says he may
express his opinion only when Ter-Petrosyan announces his nomination.
And if he makes a decision, Arsenyan may support the ex-president. "I
deeply respect the first president of the country as a highly
intelligent person and a statesman of the modern history. This is my
personal attitude. The political party makes political evaluations
because Gurgen Arsenyan’s personal opinion on Levon Ter-Petrosyan and
Serge Sargsyan is not enough for the political party to support,"
Gurgen Arsenyan says, noting that their party is not based on
democratic centralism. The ULP is waiting for the programs of the
presidential candidates to decide whom to support. In this case it is
interesting to know the degree of importance of the extent of
participation of the ULP in implementing the program of the
presidential candidate to making this decision.

"Of course, it will be desirable if you or your team participate in
the line which will match our ideas. This is a desirable option,
however, the political situation and the political reality is such
that we may endorse a program but not be engaged directly in its
implementation. As a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, as a
political force in Armenia, we participate one way or another. But
there is direct participation and indirect participation. We would
like to participate directly," Gurgen Arsenyan says.