Armenian National Congress and Prosperous Armenia unlikely to nominate single candidate for presidency

YEREVAN, November 14. / ARKA /. Tigran Sargsyan, Armenian prime minister and deputy chairman of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, told journalists today that the opposition Armenian National Congress and the Prosperous Armenia party are unlikely to nominate a single candidate in the 2013 presidential election, Novosti-Armenia News Agency reports. 

Earlier, Levon Zurabyan, coordinator of the Armenian National Congress, didn’t rule out that the Congress and the Prosperous Armenia may put up a single presidential candidate. He, however, refrained from revealing names of probable candidates saying only that such revelations can affect consultations between the two parties. 

“I don’t think that things may take such an unexpected twist,” the premier said. 

He also reiterated his opinion voiced earlier that Republicans may seal a new coalition agreement with the Prosperous Armenia. “Other scenarios are possible as well,” he added. 

Commenting on the political consultations the Prosperous Armenia is conducting now with other parties, including opposition, Sargsyan said that the Prosperous Armenia is no longer a member of the ruling coalition – it means “the style of its activity should change, and we see this”. 

On Monday, representatives of the Congress and the Prosperous Armenia met in the office of the People’s Party of Armenia, a member of the Congress, to discuss ways for Armenia’s transition to parliamentary republic and to election only through party lists without individual races. 

On Saturday, the Prosperous Armenia discussed the matter also with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation /Dashnaktsutyun. 

Prosperous Armenia, a moderate centrist liberal-leaning party, was established in April 2004 by Gagik Tsarukyan, who is a member of National Assembly, the head of Armenian National Olympic Committee and the president of Multi Group Concern. 

The party has 36 members in the National Assembly. 

Before this year’s parliamentary elections the party was a member of the ruling coalition. It had four ministerial seats and the position of the parliament speaker. 

After the parliamentary elections, the party rejected membership in the ruling coalition with the Republican Party of Armenia and Orinats Yerkir. 

The Armenian National Congress, opposition parties’ bloc established in August 2008 is headed by the first president of independent Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan. The bloc comprises 18 parties and organizations. The Congress has seven members in the parliament. -0-