“Heritage” does not come to a common denominator, this formula prevents
Yesterday, at the Board meeting of the “Heritage” party, the party members did not come to a common denominator. The reason is that there are controversies over whether to take part in the parliamentary elections alone or with an alliance. Party board member Susanna Muradyan informed “Aravot” that the board members have delivered a speech 3-4 times during the meeting, insisting on their point of view, trying to persuade party members, anyway, they did not come to any agreement. The session was interrupted, and the party leader Raffi Hovannisian announced that the meeting will be continued in the coming days and a decision will be made. Susanna Muradyan, for example, is in favor of alliances, according to her, participation alone would mean attracting “one or two” mandates. Armen Martirosyan, Vice-Chairman of the party is also in favor of alliances. While party member Zaruhi Postanjyan is strongly against the alliances. In particular, she announced, “Personally I am not ready to participate with the alliance. I am in favor of going with our list and in separate.”
Aravot asked Stepan Safaryan, a former member of Heritage party, Chairman of the Institute for International and Security Affairs, given his party co-members views and knowing your characteristic features, what was the reason that the party members did not come to a common denominator. Mr. Safaryan noted the following formula: “Let’s go and do a change of regime with anyone without assessing the risks and prospects, without taking the dissensions into account. This problem exists long ago, I have also run into it and realized that I cannot be a part of this line. It was in 2013. The same goes on now.” Therefore, now, Stepan Safaryan is surprised that Zaruhi Postanjyan is surprised.
Mr. Safaryan reminded the past of “Heritage”, “The same line was used to form a quartet, the same formula was used to join “Founding Parliament”. But “Heritage” is not a boycotting force and has not operated in the radical field. Change of regime at any cost and with anyone is not for Heritage. Now, this formula generates new problems, and like others abandoned the party once, including me, now it is the fight for the same line and the only way out as Zaruhi’s mentioned is to go alone.” Mr. Safaryan believes that in the case of participating in the elections with the alliance, “Heritage” will lose a lot, including the rating, not to mention the fact that “Raffi Hovhannisyan will not be seen, they will not have a faction.”
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According to Mr. Safaryan, in the case of not going with the alliance, there will be ardent dissensions inside the party: Armen Martirosyan and others may say that they do not participate. In such a situation, Mr. Safaryan portrays the fact that the party will not participate in the parliamentary elections at all.
To the question of which could be the best solution for the party to come out of the created situation, Mr. Safaryan stated that the party has missed the moments of having the best solutions a long time ago. Mr. Safaryan again recalled the year of 2013, “I have said still in 2013, the resolved is to return to what the party was doing well whom people loved and hoped. It was not boasting, constantly promising a change of regime and disappointing, it was the bridging of public and pure politics which not one was doing but the “Heritage”, and it was serving the public interest. Another thing that now anyone who wants to conceal something under the name of regime change says a public interest. I am talking about the political boasting that they keep saying that they are doing a regime change and unproductive, which brought only defeat to “Heritage”.”
Mr. Safaryan cite Raffi Hovannisian’s statement on one occasion, noted that if the situation has achieved this, the solution is very portrayed not to participate because in favor of any position to participate alone or with the alliance, the decision making will result in the alienation of another wing, to the continuation of inner dissensions. In addition, the party will decide the issue of participating in the elections or not, with the alliance or alone through voting in the coming days.
“Heritage” is an Armenian national liberal party, founded in 2002. The party won 5 seats in National Assembly, in 2012 parliamentary elections.
