TIGRAN KARAPETIAN: NOT JOINING ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS ON THRESHOLD OF ELECTIONS IS BETRAYAL BY ZHARANGUTIUN

Noyan Tapan

M arch 17, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia’s authorities and opposition
do not differ from each other in anything: their goal is the same,
to have power at any price. Tigran Karapetian, the Chairman of the
People’s Party, stated at the March 17 press conference. According to
him, the political force headed by him has declared its decision to
run for the Yerevan councillor members’ May 31 elections long ago,
but neither the opposition nor the pro-governmental media recorded
that fact.

Touching upon the preelection roll of the Armenian National Congress
(ANC), T. Karapetian said that on the whole he positively estimates
the presence of the name of first President Levon Ter-Petrosian in the
first place. However, as the PP Chairman added, in case of winning
the elections the first President will not agree to work as a Mayor
and will cede his place to Stepan Demirchian, who is in the second
place. "And Demirchian is the person, who collapsed, degradated the
Ardarutiun (Justice) bloc, and his former team-mates are currently
in the power links," T. Karapetian said.

As to Zharangutiun (Heritage) party’s decision to run for the
councillor members’ elections individually, according to the PP
Chairman, in this case not joining ANC is just a betrayal. According
to T. Karapetian’s estimation, by not joining ANC Zharangutiun proves
its not being a real opposition. The speaker also mentioned that
among Mayor’s candidates known so far he likes Bargavach Hayastan
party representative, RA Minister of Health Haroutiun Kushkian,
"as he is a state figure, a businessman, and an intellectual."