OPPOSITION SET TO END PARLIAMENT BOYCOTT
Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
Aug 8 2005
The Armenian opposition confirmed on Wednesday its reported plans to
put a permanent end to its 18-month boycott of parliament dominated
by President Robert Kocharian’s supporters.
The more than two dozen deputies representing the Artarutyun bloc and
the National Unity Party (AMK) walked out of the National Assembly
in February 2004 after its pro-presidential majority refused to
consider calling a “referendum of confidence” in Kocharian. The move
precipitated a bitter confrontation between the government and the
opposition that deepened political polarization in the country.
The Armenian authorities and the Council of Europe have since
repeatedly urged the opposition minority to return to the parliament.
The two opposition groups suspended the boycott last week to attend
parliament debates on constitutional reform not least because it was
broadcast live by state television. That gave opposition leaders a
rare opportunity to spread their message to TV viewers across Armenia.
“Deputies from the National Unity Party tentatively discussed that
issue and after analyzing the results of the extraordinary parliament
session arrived at the conclusion that they should return to the
National Assembly,” AMK leader Artashes Geghamian told RFE/RL. “Only
in that case will the failings of the coalition become obvious to
the people.”
Geghamian added that the AMK faction’s decision is likely to be
endorsed by the party’s governing board on Saturday and that he and
eight other deputies representing it could return to the National
Assembly on Monday.
A similar decision is expected to be made by Artarutyun. “The people
are asking us to participate in the work of the National Assembly
and expose the real face of the regime,” one of its leaders, Victor
Dallakian, said after Wednesday’s meeting of the bloc’s governing
board.
The end of the boycott continues to be strongly opposed by
Hanrapetutyun, the most radical of the nine parties aligned in the
bloc. “I personally won’t go to the parliament,” its leader Aram
Sarkisian told reporters.
Sarkisian, who has still not attended a single parliament session,
against stated that he does not fear being stripped of his mandate
by the parliament majority because of absenteeism. “If they are such
law-abiding and honest guys, let them expel me,” he said. “I am openly
challenging them to expel me. I have no problem with that.”
The outspoken oppositionist also downplayed the decision by
several prominent members of his party to leave Hanrapetutyun. The
dissenters led by former Yerevan Mayor Albert and former Defense
Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian cited Sarkisian’s growing pro-Western
orientation and readiness to ignore the opinion of other opposition
forces.
“The Hanrapetutyun leader is promising a quick democratic revolution
but his real actions are having opposite effects,” Harutiunian charged
on Tuesday. “We believe that regime change is possible only through
the consolidation of the opposition camp.”
Harutiunian, who has a reputation of a pro-Russian politician, also
claimed that at least half of the Hanrapetutyun chapters across the
country have decided to split from the party. “Those figures are very
far from reality,” responded Sarkisian.
Sarkisian claimed that the discord, heavily publicized by pro-Kocharian
media, is only helping his party attract new and mostly young
members. He said he will outline Hanrapetutyun’s plans at a conference
which will take place later this month or early next.