Ex-foreign minister and party fellows threaten to start sit-ins and hunger strikes

YEREVAN, February 16. / ARKA /. Several parliament members from the Prosperous Armenia Party, including ex foriegn minister Vartan Oskanian, secretary of the party's parliamentary faction Naira Zohrabyan and others may start a sit-in and a hunger strike if the party leader Gagik Tsarukyan is stripped of his parliamentary seat, RFE/RL reported quoting a party member Vahan Babayan. Babayan said this decision was made by the party's governing board.

In the mealtime the Armenian parliament was to discuss the issue on the grounds of “Tsarukyan's chronic absenteeism” after president Sargsyan said last week that Tsarukyan attended only four of the 145 meetings of the legislative body.

Speaking at a Thursday meeting of the executive board of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia president Sargsyan lashed out at his former coalition partner describing him as ‘a scourge for the country who lacks intelligence, skills and education to govern Armenia.’

Sargsyan told prime minister Hovik Abrahamyan to instruct corresponding bodies to thoroughly investigate the veracity of “unverified reports” implicating Tsarukyan in large-scale tax evasion. 

In retaliation to Sargsyan’s crackdown, the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party said the following day that the current situation in the country requires solution and 'the only solution is a complete change of power through extraordinary presidential elections.'

Prosperous Armenia is the second largest force in the parliament controlling 36 seats. It was part of coalition governments from 2007 to 2012. According to some estimates, Tsarukyan is the third-richest person of Armenia.

On February 20, the party and its key allies, the Armenian National Congress and Heritage, plan to hold a joint rally in Yerevan to press for Sargsyan's ouster.-0-