Home / Armenia / Change in National Assembly Vice Chair is Weakening of ‘Kocharian Wing’: MP

Change in National Assembly Vice Chair is Weakening of ‘Kocharian Wing’: MP

Exchanging Arevik Petrosyan for Samvel Balasanyan can’t be a big stimulus for vitalizing Prosperous Armenia’s (PHK) activities, said Heritage Party MP Armen Martirosyan, while speaking to journalists today. 

According to him, “this is just a little weakening of the Robert-Kocharian wing, because Arevik Petrosyan was considered one of Robert Kocharian’s cadres.”

Martirosyan said it would’ve been more enjoyable for him to see a literate, educated woman and “particularly a woman” in the position. Nevertheless, in the deputy’s words, in both cases, the number of political disagreements is going to be great.

Speaking about PHK joining the opposition, Martirosyan said that he can’t imagine that Gagik Tsarukyan, largely known through his economic activities, can have opposition status.

“We’ve all seen what stories there can be related to opposition oligarchs,” he said, citing Khachatur Sukiasyan’s case as an example. 

According to him, there are a large number of businessmen other than PHK leader Gagik Tsarukyan in Prosperous Armenia. “I don’t think that Prosperous Armenia will be that powerful political force that can represent the opposition,” he said. 

On the conflict between PHK and the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), Martirosyan called it a “formal conflict.” 

Asked whether a trend is noticeable in the HHK attempting to weaken PHK before parliamentary elections, the MP said:

“Unlike in 2007, now the votes are strictly decided, and there will be few free votes, including also the votes subject to administrative resources.” He believes that the struggle today is for those votes that are subject to bribes.