PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
31 Moscovian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 53.69.13
Fax: (+374 – 10) 53.26.97
Email: info@heritage.am; office@heritage.am
Website:

December 6, 2007

Heritage Holds Special Session:
Will Not Propose Presidential Candidate

Yerevan–The Heritage Party’s Council today held a special sitting
devoted to the Armenian presidential elections scheduled for February
19, 2008. In opening the meeting, Heritage board member Vardan
Khachatrian spoke about the current political developments in the
country. During the ensuing discussion, the council members and other
session participants expressed regret that Heritage leader Raffi K.
Hovannisian’s legitimate right to run for the presidency was yet again
denied on artificial and unlawful grounds.

The delegates then examined the question of supporting any other
presidential contender to be registered by the Central Election
Commission, but no consensus was reached. In this respect, Raffi
Hovannisian remarked: "I have stated on several occasions that the
office of the president is not an end unto itself, and this creed is
shared by all of us. The nomination by Heritage of a presidential
candidate bears the objective of fulfilling our aspirations for both
the nation and its state, the patriot and the citizen. Once again, we
have been deprived of that promise but, as a leading political force,
we have no right to sit on the sidelines. We must stand alongside our
citizens and, with the aim of ensuring for them the opportunity to
make a free and meaningful choice, we shall open before the people
every available avenue to familiarize themselves with the agendas,
programs, platforms, and qualifications of all nominees for the
presidency."

Subsequently, the Heritage Party’s Council decided:

1. Not to nominate a candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections;

2. To empower the party board to make the final decision,
following the official registration of all presidential contenders,
with respect to the format of the party’s participation in the
elections; and

3. Meanwhile and to that end, to instruct the party board to
ascertain from all nominees their vision for Armenia and their
proposed nationwide solutions, policies, programs, and governance
mechanisms, as well as to shed light on their individual and
collective qualifications, and then to inform the Armenian public of
its findings and conclusions.

The Heritage Council also determined that the Heritage board should
hold talks and consultations before the presidential elections and,
once having carefully examined the merits, tenets, and platforms of
the candidates, reach judgment on behalf of the party.

In conclusion, Zoya Tadevosian, Heritage’s representative at the
Central Election Commission, called on those Council members who also
serve on local election commissions to stay impartial during the
upcoming elections and to remain devoted to the precepts of free,
fair, and transparent elections. "Heritage is a front-line opposition
party which must do its utmost, in parliament and the election
commissions alike, to prevent the recurrence of election fraud," she
said.

Founded in 2002, Heritage has regional divisions throughout the land.
Its central office is located at 31 Moscovian Street, Yerevan 0002,
Armenia, with telephone contact at (374-10) 536.913, fax at (374-10)
532.697, email at office@heritage.am or info@heritage.am, and website
at