Orinats Yerkir Not To Boycott Next Parliament

ORINATS YERKIR NOT TO BOYCOTT NEXT PARLIAMENT

Armenpress
May 16 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS: Chairman of the opposition Orinats
Yerkir party Arthur Baghdasarian said his party would not renounce
their parliament mandates, ‘because boycott is not the best means of
a political struggle."

Speaking to a news conference he said his party, as the biggest
opposition group in the next parliament, will step up efforts to
defense the interests of those voters who cast their ballots in favor
of the Orinats Yerkir party.

Baghdasarian cited the boycott of the outgoing parliament by then
opposition parties, saying it produced nothing. What is important,
according to him, is that the opposition in general, managed to garner
as many as 450,000 votes in May 12 parliamentary elections. He urged
the other opposition group, the Heritage party of Raffi Hovhanesian
to join it in challenging the election’s outcome at the Constitutional
Court.

However, Raffi Hovhanesian indicated on Tuesday that he would not
challenge the official results of the parliamentary elections, despite
accusing the authorities of stealing two-thirds of ballots cast for
his party.

"Zharangutyun will go to the parliament as an opposition party,
and being in minority will only raise our sense of responsibility,"
he said to a yesterday news conference.