TER-PETROSYAN'S NOMINATION WILL CHANGE HHK'S STRATEGY

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“Among all president's candidates only Serge Sargsyan is of great public demand and the most real,” said the press secretary of the Republican Party (HHK) and NA deputy Edward Sharmazanov. He advises to avoid preliminary conclusions and comments unless Serge Sargsyan is officially nominated.

The HHK will name its candidate after the party's conference at the beginning of November. To A1+'s question how the party came to know that Serge Sargsyan enjoys great public demand, the HHK press secretary said, “The votes the party gained at the May 12 parliamentary elections give ground to such announcements.”

As for Gellup's recent polling according to which Vartan Oskanian, Raffi Hovannisian and Gagik Tsarukyan enjoy greater public confidence than Serge Sargsyan, Edward Sharmazanov said, “Let me disagree with you. The HHK has surrendered to no party or figure since the parliamentary elections.”

“Armenia is a democratic country and it is quite normal when this or that candidate or political team names a candidate, be it Levon Ter-Petrosyan or any other candidate. My subjective opinion is today the discourse about the historical necessity for the nomination of Levon Ter-Petrosyan as an individual and a political figure is pointless.”

As a historian Sharmazanov notes that historical necessity occurs when the country faces a crisis. Armenia is going through the second stage of its development and reforms,” Edward Sharmazanov says.

According to him, Ter-Petrosyan’s nomination will not make the Republican Party change its election strategy but a change in tactics is possible. Sharmazanov's opinion of the Armenian first president is quite positive, he greatly respects Levon Ter-Petrosyan. The Republican Party us a political force which has always supported state and public interests. But it is pointless to speak about Levon Ter-Petrosyan's return as a historical necessity.

The HHK is independent of any political force. By the way, Artsahes Geghamyan had proposed inviting the Republican Party during the second meeting of the leaders. According to the press secretary of the Republican Party, the opposition is considering ways of saving the country, meanwhile, the Republican Party cannot see a situation from which the country needs to be saved. As to the likelihood of the Republican Party to accept the principles of the program of the opposition which would give opposition’s support to Serge Sargsyan, Edward Sharmazanov said, “The Republican Party has a clear-cut political program which underlies the government program, shared by their other political partners.”