Epress.am News from Armenia
Regardless of how radical Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukyan's speech will be, regardless of whether opposition or those that consider themselves alternative parties will unite or not, they will not succeed in changing anything in the political arena if they don't have the support of one of the geopolitical centers, Russia or the US, Armen Badalyan, an expert on political and electoral systems, informed Epress.am.
Speaking about Tsarukyan's speech at the 7th BHK convention on Feb. 15, the analyst said it was more radical than in past conventions. "But to say that in this way major change happened or that the speech was half the battle — no. We've heard more radical speeches. What's important is what actions will follow that speech — will BHK get the support of the geopolitical centers?" he said.
Regarding BHK's call to unite non-ruling parliamentary parties, Badalyan said the parties need to unite not around each other but around a specific issue, such as happened in the fight against the new mandatory pension system.
"After uniting around an issue, non-ruling parties have to get the support of one of the geopolitical centers; otherwise, whatever they propose will fail in the National Assembly, since the [ruling] Republican Party of Armenia holds the majority and it votes with one voice, whether it be the accumulated pension or an expression of no confidence in the government. Geopolitical forces will not only support, but also put pressure on the government," he said.
Asked to comment on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's speech at the Yerkrapah Voluntary Homeland Defenders Union convention on Feb. 15, Badalyan said there's no point in subjecting the speech to a content analysis.
"In general, one can speak about the president's speech, when he is newly elected, makes promises, when he's been president at least only for a year. But Serzh Sargsyan has been president for 6 years — there's no need to listen to his speeches because the 6 years have proven that he's lost in all areas. Emigration has reached 400–500 thousand, the judicial system doesn't actually work, small business owners have fled to Georgia or other countries, and foreign policy is in such a state that Armenia is perceived as an obvious fool," he said.