Is Heritage cleansing?
"The exclusion of six Heritage members including Zoya Tadevosian, Movses Aristakesian, Vartan Khachatrian, aims to cleanse the Party," says Chairman of the Heritage parliamentary faction Armen Martirosian.
"The decision doesn't aim to split the Party. We have excluded all people pursuing other goals than the Party's interests. For example, one of them was attracted by Congress's offer during the municipal elections. Now, they are all free and can do wherever they want," Mr. Martirosian said to A1+.
"I wonder how the word "agent" appeared in the press as no one named Zoya Tadevosian an "agent" during yesterday's sitting. We have been cooperating and I am hopeful that we shall continue partnership with the Congress. The scandal inside the Party has no connection with the Congress."
In reply to Ms. Tadevosian's allegation that Armen Martirosian had ragged the Board's elections, the latter said, "Raffi Hovannisian wouldn't name me as the head of the Heritage parliamentary faction if I had ragged the election."
Stepan Safarian says the excluded members intervene with the party's activity. "During the last board sittings Movses Aristakesian got on everyone's nerves saying he had no job while in the past he earned $100 an hour. Aristakesian also persuaded Heritage MPs to refuse from mandates so that he could enter the National Assembly," says Mr. Safarian.
Former Chair of the Heritage Board, Anahit Bakhshian says she is to blame for the uproar inside the party since her punishments towards those spreading slanderous statements and lies lingered. "We were to stop their allegations long ago. Now we have discharged them to strengthen the Party," added Ms. Bakhshian.
