Statement: Prosperous Armenia Party cancels rally scheduled for February 20
18.02.2015,
14:06
Prosperous Armenia Party has canceled the rally scheduled for February 20, the party’s board says in a statement issued on Wednesday.
YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. Prosperous Armenia Party has canceled the rally scheduled for February 20, the party’s board says in a statement issued on Wednesday. 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 an emergency rally on February 20 in the Liberty Square in Yerevan for outlining their further steps amid the tense political situation inside the country .
However, the Yerevan municipality said the rally of these opposition parties contradicts the assembly freedom law.
The board of the Prosperous Armenia says in its statement that the city authorities, ignoring the notification of the rally, are creating artificial obstacles for holding the rally.
“Taking into account extremely resolute sentiments in the society and in order to avoid possible provocations and clashes, the board of Prosperous Armenia decided to cancel the rally scheduled for February 20,” the statement says.
The party’s board also says in its statement that political solutions and ways out of this situation will be found through political consultations and by using all legal means.
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 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----
