RPA COUNCIL SHARES THE SAME OPINION REGARDING THE CANDIDACY OF NA NEW SPEAKER
Naira Khachatryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
18 Sep 2008
Armenia

RPA Spokesman, MP Edward Sharmazanov was the guest of "Urbat" club
yesterday.

During his press conference convened the day before yesterday,
Tigran Torosyan who has submitted two applications, regarding his
leaving the Party and resignation from the position of NA Speaker,
characterized immoral the behavior of some of his party members,
saying that false information has been represented regarding the
voting and the process of the session.

According to Edward Sharmazanov members of RPA don’t agree with
T. Torosyan’s assessments: "We can understand him, because he is
a human being and his emotional outburst is quite natural at this
stage, but we hope that after some time he will give more sensible
estimations. As for the results of the voting I must say that our
partners have published them, as for the session of RPA council,
only 8 from 102 members were absent and 94 members unanimously voted
for Hovik Abrahamyan’s candidacy.

Meanwhile it is regrettable that RPA vice-Chairman is leaving the
party: "Because as President Serge Sargsyan underscored in his
interview given to the Mass Media, the Republican Party intends to
use his skills and knowledge in another sphere and bring benefit to
the country first of all, and only=2 0after that – the party. So the
party didn’t have any intentions to dismiss Tigran Torosyan or to
restrict his activity in the party’s structure.

The fellow party-members were unaware of his "intolerable
disagreements". "For the first time we came to know that he had
disagreements linked with the party’s political line. For the last two
years I have been the member RPA council, I have been participating
in all the sessions of the council and I haven’t heard him to have
any serious differences in his stance regarding the party’s political
line."

"Tigran Torosyan became an MP by the list of RPA. What is the attitude
of the Republicans towards his intentions to become an independent MP?"

"Despite the fact that he is no more a member of RPA, we shouldn’t
forget that he had a great role in the party. And it is up to him to
decide the issue of remaining an MP. There is no breach of law here.

Edward Sharmazanov didn’t exclude that in a party with 150.000 members
there can be people who will not agree to the decision of the session.

"But those represented in the council have been sent from the
territorial organizations of the party and we have no problem of a
split in our party. RPA has overcome more serious temptations. It has
lost three leaders, but it has become more united. At present we have
more20serious problems, and we are united around our Chairman."

"The period of the resignation of NA Speaker and the President
of Cassation Court matched. Is it a simple coincidence or certain
manifestation of a political process?"

"We all want changes. You can’t make reforms without cadre changes.

Though I don’t have any details about the resignation of the Chairman
of Cassation Court, but one thing is clear, we must be ready for
cadre changes.

It is a fact that our society needs reforms. As a representative
of a pro-governmental party I must say that our country faces lots
of problems.

And both the opposition and the ruling power have a big job in
this regard.

For us any constructive approach is acceptable," the speaker announced.

After Hovik Abrahamyan is elected as the Speaker of the Parliament,
according to the rumors the issue of changing the Prime Minister will
be put to discussion. And ex President Robert Kocharyan is considered
a possible candidate in this position.

Edward Sharmazanov said that the party hasn’t discussed similar issue:
"Only recently has the party approved Tigran Sargsyan’s candidacy as
a Prime Minister and his government action plan. In my view Tigran
Sargsyan is the person who is able to solve all the issues he has
put forward. The ten years of his governing have been years of lots
of achievements."