REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER QUESTIONS OTHERS’ ABILITY TO CHALLENGE THEIR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

ARMENPRESS
Nov 14, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: A senior lawmaker from the governing
Republican Party questioned today other political groups’ abilities and
resources to challenge its chairman, prime minister Serzh Sarkisian’s
presidential bid.

Hakob Hakobian, a Republican lawmaker from its governing board , said
the party has gained its political resource in the May 12 parliamentary
elections and it is bigger than any other political party can boast of.

Therefore, he said, it would have been irrational for his party
not to nominate its leader, prime minister Serzh Sarkisian as a
presidential candidate.

Hakob Hakobian said every legal voter has to brace up for the February
19 presidential election by asking themselves a question about who
to elect so that to live a better life in several years.

He said the Republican party is aware of many problems faced by the
country and its people, which have to be solved as soon as possible. He
said part of them can be solved by a radical increase in the amount
of collected budget revenues.

Meantime a small Christian-Democratic party’s leader, Khosrov
Harutunian, said his party (it has no seats in the National Assembly)
is likely to back prime minister Serzh Sarkisian’s presidential bid.

Speaking to a news conference he said the manifesto and the plan of
actions of Sarkisian’s Republican Party, as well as the incumbent
government’s performance are in tune with his party’s vision of how
the country should move forward.

Khosrov Harutunian, who served as a prime minister and parliament
chairman, argued that ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian is unable to
pose as an alternative to the current administration. He said he is
an alternative to other opposition groups rather.

He admitted that Ter-Petrosian’s re-injection into politics has brought
about surprise developments making political struggle more interesting,
but added that there is no clarity about whether it would give a new
content to political competition and result in clash of ideologies.