Armenian authorities aim at having manageable pro-Western opposition, political technologist says
04.03.2015,
10:49
Armenia’s authorities want to form a manageable pro-Western opposition in the country, political technologist and analyst Vigen Hakobyan said, as cited by Novosti-Armenia.
YEREVAN, March 4. /ARKA/. Armenia’s authorities want to form a manageable pro-Western opposition in the country, political technologist and analyst Vigen Hakobyan said, as cited by Novosti-Armenia.
Armenia is located within the area of Russian interests and is Russia’s strategic ally, he said. The current pro-Russian government is trying to keep its monopoly and feels threatened by any pro-Russian opposition, Hakobyan said.
It is not by chance at all that the pro-Russian opposition has been attacked most severely, the expert said on the air, on Sputnik-Armenia radio channel.
According to Hakobyan, if a pro-Western opposition is formed in the country, it will indicate democratic processes and provide good chances for maintaining relations with the West at the same time.
Hakobyan said the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) was the most powerful political force in the opposition, and the political field is cleared after PAP has weakened.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan (the first president of Armenia and leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress – Novosti-Armenia) is trying to create an image of the only opposition figure, but the chances are vague after PAP’s failure, he said. Revival of Orinats Yerkir is not probable either, the expert said.
Speaking on February 12 at a meeting of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, president Serzh Sargsyan criticized harshly the leader of Prosperous Armenia party tycoon Gagik Tsarukian and said Tsarukian, as a political actor, is an evil for the country. The president signed a decree withdrawing Tsarukian from the national security council due to his systematic failure to attend the council meetings. The president also instructed to look into cases of the tycoon’s absence in the parliament sessions and the rumors about his tax evasion.
The leader of the Prosperous Armenia, in turn, said the reason for the president’s statements is his refusal to contribute to the reproduction of the political power through a constitutional reform. In particular, the tycoon said he refused to become a president after the country turns to parliamentary form through constitutional amendments.
PAP was going to hold a rally on February 20, together with two other opposition parties, Armenian national Congress and the Heritage, but cancelled the rally later. PAP leader Gagik Tsarukian urged people to solve problems only through peaceful, legal and political means. –0--
