Eduard Sharmazanov, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly informed us that the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) program would be exactly like that
– The closer we are to the election, the more active speculations on parties’ lists, participation types and positions become. Was the party list discussed at the RPA supreme body meeting that took place on Thursday and can you go into details about the list?
– With pleasure, let me officially state that the Republican Party list will be led by Serzh Sargsyan and let me say for those who have problems with understanding and expected something different that Serzh Sargsyan should lead the list, because there is a classic political approach, according to which, the party leader leads the party list in an election. Serzh Sargsyan is our leader and all reforms of our party are connected with him, the party is decisive to go for reforms, move forward and achieve success in the upcoming election led by President Serzh Sargsyan.
– Could you tell us more details about the party list? Who will and who won’t be on that list, who will be and who won’t be pleased with it?
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– Let me not say who will and who won’t be on the list, but let me say the clear principle, according to which the party list will be made. The party will give final shape to the pre-election program soon and figures who will be ready to carry out those reforms by their activities and abilities in both the executive and legislative bodies will be on the party list. There can be no other principle. The principle is that those who are able to carry out the reforms will be on the list.
– Some analyses are made on the fact that the party list will be made, in accordance with quotas of some figures, the number of their quotas. Is it really the case?
– I am aware of those so-called analyses you have mentioned and I want to say that they are just ridiculous, there isn’t and cannot be such a thing. The RPA is a mature political force and not an LLC and assigning quotas is characteristic of LLCs and those political forces and politicians who are guided by the logic of an LLC. That kind of analyses are just ridiculous to say the least and people who make them are not aware of the political realities.
– Will there be some unexpected names on the RPA list; such names that once they are revealed, will cause the society, people to say, “What a surprise”?
– I cannot say whether there will be expected or unexpected names, but one thing I can clearly say that there will be people on our party list who are decisive and can carry out the process of reforms led by the president of the country and there will be people who believe and are convinced that systemic reforms can be carried out only led by the president of the country and with the RPA. And naturally, the party leader believes those people and reckons that those people can promote the process of reforms.
– Based on what principle will the party list be made? Will there be all members of the executive body, ministers, governors and other officials, on the RPA list?
– I have already told you the main principle. It is very clear and will be the same – those who can fit in the context of reforms and can fit in the context of the pre-election program will be on the list. Let us wait and see who exactly will be on that list. We will make our list public after the congress and everything will be clear. I want to necessarily remind and stress one thing – the Republican Party has never made autotelic decisions and will continue this way.
– Perhaps I am asking a banal question, but what percentage, how many votes does the Republican Party intend to win in the parliamentary election?
– Let me make only one example – local elections have taken place recently and the Republican Party representatives have won elections in 31 out of 39 communities and this gives an assurance that the main favorite in the upcoming parliamentary election is the RPA, furthermore, our main purpose, as a political authority, as the number one force responsible for it, will be holding an election in our country that will be completely in line with the democratic standards and we expect and there is every prospect that the Republican Party will succeed and be the favorite in that election that will be in line with the democratic standards.
– The leading Republican Party is blamed for saying that there will be a fair and transparent election, whereas, if it is like the election for the Hrazdan mayor, according to oppositionists, it will be not that transparent.
– An election in Hrazdan was such an election that even the US ambassador to Armenia assessed it as democratic and mentioned also facts. I think this testifies to the fact that the ambassador of one of our international partners, one of the most powerful superpowers of the world – and we know that the USA never assesses anyone for nothing – assessed the Hrazdan election positively. This gives hope that we will be able to hold a really normal election. And if the opposition is dissatisfied etc., there is only one piece of advice I can give – if we want to build a democratic country – and we want to build it – in a democratic country, one speaks not based on shots in the dark, but on facts, which he puts forward in respective institutions. If there are no such facts, everything else is secondary.
Interviewed MARGARIT YESAYAN
