Epress.am News from Armenia
“Today, the Republican Party of Armenia unites like-minded individuals who are striving for practical results. Today, all those who want to change something in our motherland and are ready to work toward that end day and night are with us. And we have never said that we are know-it-alls and we have constantly been inviting to cooperate all [political] forces and individuals that are ready to do so,” said Armenian President and Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) leader Serzh Sargsyan at the party’s 13th convention on Saturday.
Though the HHK’s list of candidates in the May 6 parliamentary election weren’t made public at the congress, Sargsyan touched upon the upcoming election and made it clear that the HHK plans to retain its control in the National Assembly.
“In the upcoming parliamentary elections, we will present ourselves to our people as a team of like-minded individuals which has set a goal to win the people’s vote of confidence and form a government. Probably, there are some who don’t like it, those who cannot come to terms with an ideology that reigns in our country sustained by our people’s vote of confidence. However, that’s the reality which is nothing but right and beneficial for Armenia,” he said, according to the full text of his speech published on the Armenian president’s official website.
The Armenian president also spoke generally of the HHK’s plans for the future, again stressing the party’s role in shaping the future of the country.
“From now on, our activities will be focused on individuals, on each and every one, on the citizens of Armenia. Economic growth will become a concrete job for a concrete person; from now on in our country having a job and a decent salary will not be the most desired things. We have strengthened the state; we can also resolve primary problems of the people. We need change. We, all of us together will implement these changes through the experience and leadership of the Republican Party,” he said.
Note, as RFE/RL’s Armenian service reported earlier, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) was the only opposition group whose leaders were invited to attend the HHK conference. A fact Heritage Party MP Stepan (Styopa) Safaryan deplored. “With such a decision they show what kind of political culture they prefer,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
The more radical opposition bloc the Armenian National Congress (HAK) seemed indifferent to the snub. “We don’t care who the HHK invites to its gatherings,” said Levon Zurabyan, the HAK’s central office coordinator.
Recall, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia also formalized former parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamyan’s appointment as election campaign manager at a meeting held two days before the convention.
Photo of Serzh Sargsyan from Armenian president’s official website.