"OCCASIONALLY KOCHARIAN SAYS CLEVER THINGS"

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[03:08 pm] 02 November, 2007

"A president must serve national interests and democracy due to his
personal qualities," Alliance of National Democrats (AZhD) Leader
Arshak Sadoyan says.

The AZhD will back Vazgen Manukian at the presidential election as
he is gifted with unique personal characteristics.

During the 26 October rally Armenia’s former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian announced about his intention to run for
presidency. Didn’t Ter-Petrossian’s announcement affect your stance?

Levon Ter-Petrossian’s nomination was considered for a long time. I
have said many times that the first president had better second the
coordinator of the Karabakh Committee Vazgen Manukian so that the
acting authorities would not have a chance to nag at the faults or
shortcomings. But my proposal was turned down.

And why doesn’t Vazgen Manukian back the first president?

I don’t find it expedient know. People strongly believe that the
current criminal regime will be replaced by the former imperfect one,
and no one will be able to combat it.

Will Robert Kocharian’s announcement that the opposition will name
a few candidates come true?

Kocharian occasionally says clever things. Obviously, Arthur
Baghdasarian, Aram Karapetian and Tigran Karapetian will run in
the election.

Can we speak of the opposition’s victory in case there are a few
presidential nominees?

I think the opposition had better support a joint candidate, Vazgen
Manukian. Only in that case we shall be able to seize power. We
shouldn’t let authorities take measures, recall the vote tampering of
the 1996 and try to choose the lesser of the two evils-Serzh Sarkisian.

TV Channels are presently actively engaged in propaganda against
the first president. Doesn’t it imply that the authorities see
Ter-Petrossian as their main rival?

Ter-Petrossian’s nomination is advantageous for the authorities but
they cannot fight Vazgen Manukian with such primitive methods.

Knarik Isoyan