Levon Zurabyan, the ANC coordinator, about confidential negotiations between the ANC and the Heritage Party
“We proposed – in order to implement the Armenian society’s demand – to jointly endorse 21 ANC candidates, 7 Heritage Party candidates and 13 Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) or alternative candidates in 41 electoral districts, according to the results of the negotiations. Our proposal was denied. I am sorry about that, because I think that this has generally been a symptom of the opposition attitude recently in the public and social life. I understand that everyone has ambitions, has self-respect, aspiration to seize the opportunity to contribute,” Raffi Hovhannisyan, the leader of the Heritage Party, stated at a press conference yesterday and as a first step, announced that he withdrew his candidacy from the 7th electoral district. Let us remind that Nikol Pashinyan, the editor-in-chief of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper, famous businessman Samvel Alexanyan from the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and Raffi Hovhannisyan, the Heritage Party leader, were nominated in that electoral district. In response to Aravot’s question whether there had been confidential negotiations in the opposition camp on the nominations for majoritarian representation and why the ANC had denied a cooperation hand lent by the Heritage Party, ANC coordinator Levon Zurabyan said,
– Yes, I must confirm now that we had confidential negotiations with the Heritage Party on nominating common candidates for majoritarian representation. Since the Heritage Party has already revealed some details, we can talk without breaking the agreement on confidentiality. The chronology of the negotiations is the following – a few weeks ago, the Heritage Party applied to us with a proposal to start such talks. We agreed and asked to send the framework of their aspirations, in order that we could determine our position and talk about it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t done. In the period of nominations, this time we applied to the Heritage Party, saying that we thought necessary to make those talks more active and to decide now, before the nominations or the end of them, where and who could be a common candidate. The Heritage Party said that it was ready for negotiations only after the nominations. Certainly, we don’t think that it is a right approach, because, in the end, it is easier to come to an agreement when people are not nominated yet. When people are already nominated, it means that they have already become involved in the campaign, their teams are formed and it is more difficult to call them back. Moreover, it can be perceived by the candidates themselves as political bargaining at their expense. Therefore, that approach is not quite acceptable for us.
– Did you suspend the negotiations for that reason only?
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– Nonetheless, the Heritage Party applied after the nominations again and we resumed the talks. The Heritage Party made the following offer – Raffi Hovhannisyan withdraws his candidacy from the 7th electoral district, in return, Gayane Arustamyan, withdraws her candidacy from no. 1 electoral district, leaving Stepan Safaryan as a common candidate there, Aram Manukyan withdraws his candidacy from no. 4 electoral district leaving Zaruhi Postanjyan as a common candidate, Avet Poghosyan from no. 6 electoral district leaving Armen Martirosyan as a common candidate, Levon Zurabyan from no. 3 leaving as a common candidate Ruben Hakobyan and Tigran Ter-Petrosyan from no. 12 leaving Anahit Bakhshyan as a common candidate. The Heritage Party also promised to endorse the ANC candidates in 20 electoral districts where they didn’t have candidates.
Our response was the following – we think that the issue should have been decided before the nominations or at least during the nominations. We also said that such a proposal didn’t even lay a foundation for starting negotiations on common candidates. Thirdly, nonetheless, we offer the Heritage Party, as well as other political forces, which are not in the pro-government camp or don’t think that they are in that camp, to cooperate on holding a free, fair and lawful election. Even if it is necessary to establish a joint staff for controlling election fraud. And the last one, we stated it during confidential negotiations, now we state it publically – the ANC has unilaterally taken on a task to conduct anti-propaganda only against the establishment. Not to direct anti-propaganda either against the Heritage Party or any other non-pro-government candidates. This was the response of the ANC and the negotiations were over after that.
– What do you think of this attitude of the Heritage Party and the step taken by Raffi Hovhannisyan yesterday – withdrawing his candidacy from the 7th electoral district?
– I don’t wish to assess or comment in any way. There were negotiations, this was their end. We, nonetheless, have to look ahead and think of our main goal, i.e. establishing democracy in Armenia and rescuing the country from Serzh Sargsyan’s and the RPA’s regime and political monopoly. This will be the main target of the ANC and we are ready to form a common front against the ruling regime with everyone.
– So, the opposition camp doesn’t consolidate.
– 95% of the opposition camp is already consolidated in the ANC. There is no 100% consolidation in nature and this shouldn’t be perceived a tragedy. Neither should one promote the claims of the establishment that the opposition is doomed, since it cannot unite. There is no such thing. The consolidation of the opposition is finished by 95% and the proposals we have made and the obligation we have taken on unilaterally, in my opinion, gives substantial grounds for the forces that wish to struggle against the regime to do that effectively.
– However, in case of an agreement, the joint struggle would have been more efficient.
– Which we are ready to do.
– As the saying goes, is there no way back?
– We couldn’t reach an agreement on common candidates, but one should not think of it as a tragedy or a thing that will jeopardize the struggle for change of power, because there are grounds for cooperation.
– What do you think of the lists of the pro-government parties?
– Those lists showed one thing – as we knew already, there is no reason for believing this establishment. They wish to represent their new image to the society that there will not be oligarchs, corrupted people, but they have made a list of exactly the same people that have discredited this regime in the eyes of the people for 4 years.
Interviewed NELLY GRIGORYAN
