DASHNAKS OFFERED TO KEEP PARLIAMENT POSTS
Anush Martirosian
RFE/RL
29.04.2009
Armenian Revolutionary Federation leaders Vahan Hovannisian, left,
and Hrant Markarian speak with President Serzh Sarkisian.
Armenia’s leadership offered the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun) on Wednesday to continue to control two major posts
in parliament despite its departure from the governing coalition.
Dashnaktsutyun leaders strongly hinted at their likely acceptance of
the offer publicly voiced by parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamian.
In a accordance with its March 2008 power-sharing agreement with
President Serzh Sarkisian, the influential nationalist party was
given three ministerial and several vice-ministerial portfolios in
the government.
Dashnaktsutyun leaders also continued to occupy one of the two posts
of deputy speaker and to chair two standing committees of the National
Assembly.
Dashnaktsutyun pulled out of the four-party coalition on Monday in
protest against Sarkisian’s diplomatic overtures to Turkey. All of its
members holding positions in the executive and legislative branches
tendered their resignations as a result.
Speaking on behalf of the Sarkisian administration, Abrahamian urged
Dashnaktsutyun to allow Armen Rustamian and Artur Aghabekian to
continue to serve as chairmen of the parliament committees on foreign
affairs and defense respectively. He cited a 2008 legal amendment
that entitles opposition lawmakers to headin g some of the National
Assembly panels.
"True, this change will apply to the next parliament," Abrahamian said
during a parliament session. "Nevertheless, the political coalition
is urging the Armenian Revolutionary Federation faction to withdraw,
while being in opposition, Armen Rustamian’s and Artur Aghabekian’s
resignations."
Vahan Hovannisian, Dashnaktsutyun’s parliamentary leader, thanked
and praised the ruling coalition for the offer. "We will discuss the
proposal and present our response to the National Assembly chairman,"
he said.
Dashnaktsutyun’s governing Supreme Body in Armenia was expected to
meet and discuss the matter later on Wednesday. Rustamian, who is
also the de facto head of the body, indicated that he is in favor
of accepting the government offer. "It would be good if we laid the
foundation of a new [government-opposition] relationship," he said.
Artashes Shahbazian, another Dashnaktsutyun lawmaker, took a similar
view, citing the need to "form a new political culture" in the country.
"It was not a wrong proposal, especially given that we wished the
coalition success in our statement," he told RFE/RL.
Shahbazian insisted that by retaining the two parliament posts his
party would not give more ammunition to those opposition leaders
who say that Dashnaktsutyun will continue to secretly cooperate with
Sarkisian despite i ts exit from the government. "We have abandoned
our government posts that were given to us as a result of political
agreements," he said.
"But we didn’t enter the parliament as a result of political
agreements."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
