LEADER OF OPPOSITIONAL NEW TIMES PARTY DEPRIVED OF RIGHT TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2008

2007-12-04 22:19:00

ArmInfo. Leader of the oppositional New Times Party Aram Karapetyan
has been deprived of the right to run for president in 2008. The
First Instance Court of the Center Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan
rejected A.Karapetyan’s claim against the Department of Visa and
Passports of RA Police, Tuesday.

To recall, on November 23, A.Karapetyan applied to the Department
of Visa and Passports of RA Police for a certificate confirming his
Armenian citizenship and permanent residence in Armenia over the past
10 years. As Lieutenant Colonel of Police Hovhannes Kocharyan, the
representative of the respondent, said in court today, A.Karapetyan
was given a certificate confirming his Armenian citizenship. However,
proceeding from Clauses 65 and 72 of the Electoral Code, A.Karapetyan
was denied a certificate confirming his permanent residence in Armenia
over the past 10 years, as according to the Police’s data, from
1997 till 2002 he didn’t live in Armenia permanently, on January 13,
1997, he was registered at: App.342, Bld.5, Vernadsky Avenue, Moscow,
Russia. "On January 13, 1997, Aram Karapetyan came from Yerevan to
his wife for permanent residence", the house register says.

A.Karapetyan was struck off the register on May 17, 2005. As regards
the fact that A.Karapetyan was given a certificate confirming his
permanent residence in Armenia for registration of his MP candidacy
for participation in the 2007 parliamentary election, the basis of the
certificate was the fact that A.Karapetyan has been living in Armenia
since 2002 and engaged in active politics, Hovhannes Kocharyan said. He
recalled that on May 2, 2003, the First Instance Court of Erebuni and
Nubarashen communities of Yerevan made a decision to deny A.Karapetyan
the right to participate in the 2003 parliamentary election for the
same reason.

Hovhannes Kocharyan wasn’t at all amazed at the fact that A.Karapetyan
participated in presidential election in 2003. "What’s the odds? New
circumstances have been found out, which do not allow A.Karapetyan
to receive the above-mentioned certificate", he said.

Right after announcement of the verdict, A.Karapetyan called it
a political order. The Leader of the New Times Party told ArmInfo
correspondent that he expected this verdict and added that despite it,
he will continue the national revolution in the country. He also said
that the legislation allows him to impeach the December 4 judgement,
but he’ll decide later whether to do it or not.