The non-discredited composition of Raffi Hovhannisyan’s shadow Cabinet
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Nikol Pashinyan, an Armenian National Congress (ANC) MP, said during the first meeting of the open civil council in Freedom Square today that they should try to the best of their ability to include in the list people who hadn’t discredited themselves, in order that they didn’t become a target for criticism. www.aravot.am inquired how they were going to decide with the people how discredited the given person was, since the conception of the people was a broad one. Whether the one who was applauded more was less discredited and the one who was applauded less was not accepted by society. And whether afterwards, they would give some final list to Raffi Hovhannisyan who would choose who would be in the Cabinet and who would not. Nikol Pashinyan replied: “The mechanism is like this. Frankly speaking, I personally am not going to give any list to Raffi Hovhannisyan. On the contrary, people’s names are announced here. If Mr. Hovhannisyan deems appropriate, thinks that a certain person deserves it, he will certainly make a mark. It is supposed that Mr. Hovhannisyan’s authorized representative will participate in the discussions, in which he will not take part, and will go and convey those ideas to him. I don’t aspire to assess whether a certain person is discredited or not, while announcing his name. I myself will not take the liberty of doing that, because all that is very relative. Perhaps I don’t know something about that person; I will not take on such a responsibility.” He called on every one of us to “tune up” our minds. “We should devote ourselves to the following that on February 18, a change of power took place in Armenia. Every one of us should think about a change of power and a new government, about steps that will turn the de facto government into a de jure one. What is going on here is not forming the new Cabinet. Ideas are expressed. This is an invitation to all of us to think out loud. If I think, for example, that Zhirayr Sefilyan’s potential can be invested into building Armenia’s future, I will not be afraid to say that. If I think that Stepan Demirchyan won the 2003 presidential election, if I am convinced in that, I am not afraid to say that out loud. I am not afraid to say that yesterday we drew up a list, in which Artur Sakunts, Vagharshak Harutyunyan, Manvel Sargsyan, Edgar Vardanyan, a political scientist, Lilit Glastyan, Ashot Bleyan, Alexan Hakobyan, Davit Hovhannisyan, a former Armenian Ambassador to Syria, Samvel Martirosyan, Khachatur Sukiasyan, Sarhat Petrosyan, Khachik Gevorgyan, director Ara Shirinyan, lawyers Artur Grigoryan, Vahe Grigoryan, Mushegh Shushanyan, Davit Sanasaryan, and Marta Ayvazyan who were among the diplomats that were dismissed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2008.” Former judge Pargev Ohanyan is
also on the list made public by Nikol Pashinyan. Nikol Pashinyan addressed those present: “Do you remember Pargev Ohanyan who was a part of the legal system, but that person brought in a verdict that contradicted the whole system of government. Does that person have potential? By the way, Pargev Ohanyan tried me too. Yes, I am serious, in 1999. The prosecution was represented by Serzh Sargsyan and Artashes Geghamyan, and the prosecutor proposed 5 years in prison, if I am not mistaken; Pargev Ohanyan condemned me to 1 year in prison.” Those gathered announced also the names of Violet Grigoryan, Ruben Hakhverdyan, and Aram Zaven Sargsyan. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that it was pointless to announce the names of, say, Styopa Safaryan, Zaruhi Postanjyan, Anahit Bakhshyan, and other central figures of the Heritage Party, which were naturally in Raffi Hovhannisyan’s team.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
