ORINATS YERKIR STARTS PARTY RANKS PURGE
ARMENPRESS
Aug 22, 2007
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS: A senior member of an opposition
Armenian party said today it has launched a purge campaign as part
of efforts to consolidate the party ahead of next year’s presidential
election and has toughened admission requirements for new members.
Ms. Heghine Bisharian, an MP from the Orinats Yerkir party of former
parliament chairman Arthur Baghdasarian, and deputy chairperson
of the party, said it is very difficult today to become an Orinats
Yerkir member.
Speaking to a news conference Ms. Bisharian swept aside media
speculations that once one of the biggest parties is demoralized.
"Our party is not demoralized… Simply we are getting rid of those
party members whom we do not want to see among our ranks," she said,
adding that the party is gearing up for robust political activity.
She said the party has developed about 20 legislative initiatives
and will press for their passage when the new parliament is back from
summer recess in early September.
Ms. Bisharian reconfirmed that the party will participate in next
year’s presidential ballot, but declined to speak whether it will
field its own candidate or rally with other opposition groups around
a single candidate.
She neither denied a possible cooperation with pro-government groups,
but on condition of serious repositioning of forces that may result
in emergence of new repositioning.
At the end she urged opposition leaders to throw away their
ambitions and support a single opposition presidential candidate,
saying that Orinats Yerkir party chairman Arthur Baghdasarian may be
that candidate.
Orinats Yerkir polled almost 7 percent of the vote in the May 12
parliamentary elections and holds nine of the 131 seats in Armenia’s
National Assembly.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
