Raffi Hovhannisyan to be in liberty square on February 20 despite rally cancellation by Prosperous Armenia

Prosperous Armenia released a statement on Wednesday cancelling the rally Gagik Tsarukyan, Raffi Hovhannisyan and Levon Ter-Petrosyan (the first Armenian president), leaders of Prosperous Armenia Party, Heritage Party and the Armenian National Congress, decided to stage on the mentioned day to outline their further steps amid the tense political situation in the country. 

However, the Yerevan municipality said the rally of these opposition parties contradicts the assembly freedom law. 

Hovhannisyan refrained from commenting on the rally cancellation. He read out a statement criticizing social and economic things in the country as well as Armenia’s geopolitical situation. 

“This is already two years Armenia stands isolated on the international arena and an unprecedented regress is seen in the process of Karabakh conflict settlement with many fatal incidents on the border,” he said. 

Hovhannisyan called on President Sargsyan to resign and order early presidential and parliamentary elections. 

One week ago tension between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Gagik Tsarukyan escalated after the president, speaking at a 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. 

He also stripped Tsarukyan from his membership in the National Security Council for unjustified absence from the council’s sessions. 

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.' 

Gagik Tsarukyan said also he was offered the post of president of the country but only after constitutional reforms that would turn Armenia into a parliamentary republic. He claimed that the reform is aimed at enabling Sargsyan to stay in power after the end of his second and final presidential term in 2018. Tsarukyan said he declined the offer causing Sargsyan’s anger. 

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----