The discussions on Gagik Tsarukyan and his mysterious decision continue. Speculations, predictions and expectations: this is how one can describe the current situation in the internal political environment with regard to the mentioned issue. www.aravot.am asked a set of political scientists to predict whether Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leader Gagik Tsarukyan would announce his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, given the recent developments and the current political situation, and whether the ANC would endorse him in that case. According to the majority of political scientists, G. Tsarukyan will be nominated.
Political scientist Levon Shirinyan went into detail, “The parliamentary package is the intriguing thing. The PAP put it forward and tried to polarize the political stage and unite it around that. Gagik Tsarukyan will be nominated and I believe the ANC will endorse his candidacy. We don’t know what is underneath, what is going on underneath, we only know what is on surface. Given their relations, I am under the impression that the ANC will endorse Tsarukyan, since they want a change of the regime. However, Tsarukyan is a businessman, and you know the situation in the Republic of Armenia. We just have to wait and see whether the ANC would overcome that jealousy. However, if they take into account the country’s interests, they ought to agree. Armenia is in need for modernization, which cannot be carried out on the old foundation. And the issue of Levon Ter-Petrossian, Vartan Oskanian or Gagik Tsarukyan is of secondary importance and is subject to compromise. Perhaps, the incumbent president will remain, but there will be a chance of developing parliamentarianism in Armenia.”
At the end of the conversation, Mr. Shirinyan reminded Roosevelt’s principles “work, hope and conviction” and urged Armenian politicians “to avoid intrigues and machinations.”
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Political scientist Yervand Bozoyan proposes to wait for another ten days, and everything will be clear. However, he also predicts: “The version that Gagik Tsarukyan will be nominated, and the ANC will endorse his candidacy is very probable.”
In response to our question whether the ANC would endorse the PAP leader even after the PAP mayor’s statement that he would endorse the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) candidate in Gyumri or the fact that 8 PAP MPs hadn’t come to the National Assembly extraordinary meeting, Mr. Bozoyan said: “The absence of those few people didn’t play a decisive role. And Gyumri seems to be a real concern; here we have an old story and
personal factors, which lead to certain processes. However, I also think that one shouldn’t draw serious conclusions from those.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
