Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively to VK
On September 9 in five regions of Armenia elections to local administrations will take place. The main issue is the battle for the mayor’s position in the city of Gumri – the second largest city of Armenia after Yerevan. Four candidates are competing for it: Samvel Balasanian, a member of Prosperous Armenia; Ovsep Simonyan, a representative of the opposition party Dashnaktsutyun; two independent candidates – businessman Andranik Avetisyan and pensioner Spartak Petrosyan. The ruling Republican party has decided to support Balasanian. Galust Saakian, the vice-chairman of the RPA, stated that the decision was based on the desire of local party organizations: “As always, local party organizations decide themselves whom to support. In Gumri the RPA will support Samvel Balasanian.” The current mayor of Gumri, RPA member Vardan Gukasian isn’t taking part in the elections – he didn’t succeed in the parliamentary elections on May 6 in Gumri, when the RPA was defeated by its former partner, Prosperous Armenia.
The intention to support Prosperous Armenia’s candidate seems to be irrational for the most powerful and self-sufficient party in Armenia. The RPA usually supports republican candidates only. “If the RPA states its support for Samvel Balasanian in the Gumri local elections, it doesn’t mean that the RPA and Prosperous Armenia have any agreements on this issue. Prosperous Armenia in these elections supports candidates who provide effective administration and high-quality municipal management. I hope someday the majority of the society will understand that Prosperous Armenia proposes advantageous programs, approaches, decisions, and staff,” the secretary of Prosperous Armenia, Tigran Urikhanian, said.
Why does the RPA support not a member of the party, but a representative of Prosperous Armenia, despite its power resources and non-reciprocity of Prosperous Armenia?
There are two opposite opinions on this step of the ruling elite and general relations between the RPA and Prosperous Armenia in the expert and political circle of Armenia. According to the first opinion, Prosperous Armenia is still a part of power and two forces (the RPA and Prosperous Armenia) are still cooperating, despite the fact PA hasn’t joined the ruling coalition after the parliamentary elections on May 6. “The RPA and Prosperous Armenia share everything like brothers,” the member of the opposition party of “Free Democrats”, Karapet Rubinian, is sure.
“Prosperous Armenia is hardly considered as an alternative to the RPA, as PA is the same power system under a different title,” the chairman of the organization of “Cooperation and Democracy”, Gagik Avagian, believes.
Meanwhile, the director of “Kavkaz”, Alexander Iskandarian, doesn’t believe in a possibility of cooperation between the RPA and Prosperous Armenia. He thinks that a fight for power is taking place between these two parties. Indeed, considering a number of candidates for participation in the local elections, the RPA and Prosperous Armenia are the most active. The ruling party presented 342 candidates to the position of communities’ heads and 1001 – to members of Councils of elders. Regarding Prosperous Armenia, this political force promoted 48 candidates to the position of communities’ heads and 239 – to members of Councils of Elders. Other parties are taking less active part in the elections.
Thus, as well as in the parliamentary elections, the competition in the elections on September 9 will take place between the RPA and Prosperous Armenia. The latter is the most serious rival of the RPA in the presidential elections in February 2013. At the moment Prosperous Armenia has no decision on promotion of its own candidate or support of some other candidate for the top prize – the presidential position.
