Haykakan Zhamanak, Armenia
May 29 2008

Armenian PM has no real power, ex-president plans to return

The Armenian opposition Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper has said that
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has no real power and that former
President Robert Kocharyan is planning to become president again.

The newspaper said on 29 May that it was Deputy Prime Minister Armen
Gevorgyan who actually decided the agenda of Cabinet meetings and that
no-one could meet Tigran Sargsyan without Gevorgyan sanctioning the
meeting. Haykakan Zhamanak said that Gevorgyan frequently convened
meetings, but that no-one understood the purpose of those meetings.
The daily also accused National Security Council Secretary Artur
Baghdasaryan of interfering in the government’s work.

Members of the governing coalition – the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation – Dashnaktsutyun and the Prosperous Armenia Party – have
received orders to hinder the work of Prime Minister Sargsyan and his
government, the daily said. Former President Robert Kocharyan will do
his best so that Tigran Sargsyan fails as a prime minister and
Kocharyan takes up the post, Haykakan Zhamanak alleged.

The report also said that Kocharyan is planning to become the leader
of the Prosperous Armenia Party, which is currently led by businessman
Gagik Tsarukyan. The newspaper quoted unnamed pro-government sources
as saying that Kocharyan has plans to become president again.

The struggle between President Serzh Sargsyan and Kocharyan, which was
not obvious up to now, has transferred to the personnel field. Serzh
Sargsyan is trying to get rid of Kocharyan’s staff, Haykakan Zhamanak
said. The daily also reported a rift among members of the governing
coalition and lack of confidence in President Serzh Sargsyan.

[translated from Armenian]