LPA LEADER CALLS FOR EARLY PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Au g 13, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The only way out of the current
internal political crisis in Armenia is to hold early parliamentary
and presidential elections, leader of the newly-created Liberal
Party of Armenia (LPA) Hovhannes Hovhannisian stated at the August
13 press conference.

He expressed confidence that the country’s authorities headed by
Serzh Sargsyan will manifest a political will in solution of internal
political problems and will eventually agree to hold early elections:
"Otherwise, it will turn out that they think more about extension of
the period of their power rather than about the people and the future
of the country."

In the opinion of H. Hovhannisian, September will be quite an active
month from the political point of view. By his forecasts, it is
expected that the opposition forces will become even more active and
the outside pressure on the Armenian authorities will grow.

H. Hovhannisian said that the LPA, which has already joined the
Armenian National Congress, will – after its registration – become
a full and equal member of this big political union.

The LPA leader levelled heavy criticism at the Armenian authorities for
the absence of any position on the issue of strained Russian-Georgian
relations.

In his words, in the current strained situation, Armenia should have
offered its sevices of a mediator in the normalization of relations
between its strategic partner Russia and the neighboring Georgia.