DEFENSE MINISTER’S JOINING RPA NOT AGAINST LAW, ARMENIAN PM STATES
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 24, 2006
YEREVAN, July 24. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
does not think that RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan’s admission
to the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) contradicts the Law "On
parties". "The post of Minister of Defense is a civil, not a military,
post, and, according to the Constitution, the Government is formed
of representatives of political parties," Margaryan told reporters.
Therefore, it is quite natural that Ministers sympathize with certain
parties or be included in party tickets, and seek government posts.
As to whether Serge Sargsyan’s appointment as Chairman of the
RPA Council will reduce Margaryan’s powers as RPA Chairman, the RA
Premier said that the functions of the persons holding the two posts
are clearly separated. "Council Chairman coordinates the Council’s
work as Vice-Chairman of the party," Margaryan said.
Margaryan does not think that after filling the post of RPA Council
Chairman Minister Sargsyan will become actual leader of the party.
The RPA has regulations and traditions, and an individual is unable
to dictate his will to several thousand members of the party, most of
them with a wide party experience, Margaryan said. The RPA Chairman
added that Serge Sargsyan’s relations with his and with the party give
no occasion for suppositions of this kind. According to Margaryan,
the RPA has long been cooperating with Serge Sargsyan, who, although
not an RPA member, ranked 2nd in the ticket in the 2003 parliamentary
elections. According to him, this cooperation is supposed to reach
the point of logical decision. "Serge Sargsyan succeeded in clearly
forming its relations with the RPA and was to fill a post adequate
to his potential," Margaryan said. P.T.