PEOPLE’S PARTY LEADER TO CONTEST PARLIAMENTARY SEAT BUT WON’T JOIN ALLIANCES

epress.am
03.06.2012

The People’s Party will be running in the May 6 parliamentary elections
on its own and won’t be joining any alliance, said party leader Tigran
Karapetyan at a press conference in the Armenian capital today.

“We believe that becoming an alliance is an attempt at creating a
coalition, which is accepted in Armenia’s world, but the ideas don’t
correspond. For them, it’s not the idea that’s important but the money,
the power,” he said.

Karapetyan intends to contest a parliamentary seat under the majority
system. (Recall, deputies will be elected under a mixed electoral
system: 90 deputies will be elected under a proportional system
in a nationwide constituency and a further 41 in single-mandate
constituencies under a majoritarian system.) He will be running in the
no. 17 electoral district which includes Artashat and the surrounding
environs. The party will convene a congress at the end of March or
early April and will decide its next steps.

The People’s Party leader, however, didn’t seem too optimistic.

“The elections will occur with the same standards as in the past
and those individuals and political parties who get [unwritten,
unofficial] approval will make it [to parliament],” he said, adding
that, nevertheless, people should actively vote in the elections.

“30% of the people aren’t in Armenia and another 30% don’t vote –
for this reason, the authorities are given the opportunity to commit
electoral fraud by 60%,” he added.

The likelihood of his securing a seat in the next parliament Karapetyan
assessed at 3 kilos and 500 grams.

“I’m not afraid of my likely opponents [former parliamentary speaker]
Hovik Abrahamyan and [former police chief] Alik Sargsyan,” he stressed.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress