ARMEN MARTIROSIAN ELECTED ZHARANGUTIUN PARTY BOARD CHAIRMAN
NOYAN TAPAN
SEPTEMBER 10
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. By a decision made at the
Zharangutiun (Heritage) party Board’s September 9 sitting, member of
the NA Zharangutiun faction and of party Board Vardan Khachatrian,
Zharangutiun representative in the Central Electoral Commission
Zoya Tadevosian, and Movses Aristakesian were expelled from the
party. The latter after official acceptance of party founder Raffi
Hovannisian’s putting down his deputy mandate is the pretender for
the vacant mandate.
A change of the Board Chairman also took place at the sitting that
ended in the midnight: Board member, NA deputy Armen Martirosian
was elected instead of Anahit Bakhshian, who had resigned. Armen
Martirosian had headed the parliamentary faction before. Styopa
Safarian was elected new head of the faction.
The three party members expelled from the party, as well as
R. Hovannisian were not present at the sitting. It should be also
mentioned that Zoya Tadevosian and Movses Aristakesian expelled from
the party held an action of protest with their supporters near the
party office on September 10 but there was no one in the party office.
According to some publications, the sitting held the day before is
the continuation of the fermentations that emerged lately. It was
mentioned that party’s pro-governmental wing in that way decided to
get rid of all members of party’s leading body having opposition views.
According to party Spokesperson Hovsep Khurshudian, rumors about
a conflict between radically disposed members and time-servers in
the party are "just an aspersion." According to his commentary, the
three members expelled from the party were splitting the party and
the issue of expelling them had matured long ago.