"UNIFICATION OF PARTIES SUPPORTING VAZGEN MANUKIAN IS MATTER OF
FUTURE," SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN SAYS

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. According to Shavarsh Kocharian, the
Chairman of the National Democratic Party, a false idea has been formed
in society for the past few months, according to which the electoral
struggle is, allegedly, to proceed between the representatives of the
current and former authorities. Because of that idea, as the Leader of
the National Democratic Party stated at the press conference held on
February 7, the rating of the acting authorities is rising
unintentionally, as the electorate tends to vote not in favour of the
former authorities. In the prevision of Shavarsh Kocharian, in case
that false idea is not eliminated, the candidate of the authorities
will win in the presidential elections. Therefore, in his words, the
task of the National Democratic Party and other forces supporting
Vazgen Manukian, the Head of the National Democratic Union and a
candidate running for the post of the RA President, is to eliminate
that "wrong and forced" idea.

"It is our task to tell people that they should not make a choice
between the past and the present but between the present and the
future," Shavarsh Kocharian said and added that the chances of Vazgen
Manukian to achieve success will increase under that circumstance: he
will appear in the second stage, where he will compete with Prime
Minister Serge Sargsian.

Touching upon the subject on the unification of the National Democratic
Party, the National Democratic Union, the Union of National Democrats,
the National State, and the Constitutional Right Union parties,
Shavarsh Kocharian mentioned that that is a goal connected with the
future, and, at present, the leaders of those political forces attach
importance, first of all, to the "formation of the stream of national
democracy" in the country. The expected unification, according to
Shavarsh Kocharian, is the demand of the young members of the
above-mentioned parties. The big party to be created in future, in his
words, will not be restricted only by the existence of the
above-mentioned forces: it will be able to expand.