by Susanna Petrosyan, Yerevan. Exclusively for VK
Relations between the ruling Republican Party (RP) and Prosperous Armenia (PA) have become tenser to the background of the upcoming parliamentary polls of May 6. Ever since talks on the 100% proportional voting system was proposed by the opposition started, tensions between RP and PA have not ended. Secretary of the PA parliamentary fractions signed the note filed by such fractions as Heritage and Dashnaktsutyun with a request for Speaker Samvel Nikoyan to call for parliamentary hearings on switch to the proportional system. Thus, PA backs the demand to discuss the issue at the parliament.
Information on PA running for parliament independently from RP was confirmed in January. PA press secretary Khachik Galstyan said that Gagik Tsarukyan had been decided to head the proportional list of the party. The party leader ordered regional officials to provide 2-3 candidates for each of the 41 majority electoral districts. At the same time, the territorial structure of PA in Ararat received dozens of letters about resignations from the party. Deputy head of the PA office in Ararat and Vedi, Karen Khachatryan, became a the Chief of the Ararat Police Station after leaving the party. Head of the Ararat regional structure of PA said that some 58 resignations notes had been false. Armen Ovannisyan, head of the Jermuk territorial structure of PA, was detained for drug trafficking in autumn. Vardan Bostanjyan, Chairman of the PA Board, commented on the facts, saying that there could have been pressure from RP.
Eduard Sharmazanov, Vice-Speaker and member of the RP Council, said that RP had retained civility in discussions with the coalition partner – PA: “No one may undermine RP. PA is the favourite of the elections and what matters is not a good end, but the speed of reaching the finish line”. Sharmazanov called the PA positions in introducing the proportional system strange, because “not a single person spoke for introduction of a 100% proportional system” during talks on the Electoral Code a year ago.
Galust Saakyan, Vice-Chairman of RP, said that RP considered PA its competitor at the upcoming parliamentary polls, not an enemy or a foe. He expressed confidence that RP will not only preserve the majority at the parliament, but gain additional seats as well.
What do the controversies between the coalition parties base on? Why did PA make this step, ignoring the joint statement signed a year ago by RP PA and Orinats Yerkir? According to the joint statement, “coalition parties are united and strive to increase their political influence at the upcoming parliamentary polls by competing with each other and changing the ratios within the coalition”.
Armen Badalyan, a political strategist, believes that the PA’s decision to run for parliament independently from the republicans is aimed at preserving self-sufficiency and the voters, because running for parliament according to a common list with RP would lower the PA rating and cause a loss of voters. Moreover, as stated by Badalyan, state functionaries view PA’s position as a blow for the RP image and President Serzh Sargsyan, because the president’s party has not only lost the mayor elections in Idjevan, but also lost in the process of composing the proportional list. “This step of the PA weakens position of RP in the state system”, the political strategist says.
The problem is that PA is quite authoritative and wants more independence, presuming that the party rating and the rating of its leader may actually grant more seats than a common list with RP. Doubtlessly, PA has own share of responsibility for the government, but most responsibility lies on RP, because it is the political power controlling all the key positions in the government. Besides, most responsibility for the grave socio-economic situation lies on RP.
The second factor encouraging PA for independence is the serious financial resource, comparable with financial resources of the republicans themselves. Besides the great financial resource of PA, which has own ministers, heads of regional administrations, carries part of the administrative resource. we should remember about PA’s owning the Kentron TV Channel.
These factors may be considered elements of PA’s self-sufficiency. Experts believe that PA will gain more votes that RP in fair elections, because PA and opposition are want fair elections. “There is a consistent pattern within the framework of authoritarian power: the system does not tolerate alternatives in the government, thus, PA’s interests give way to fair and clear elections. In its turn, the state of economy does not allow RP to gain the majority, that is 67 or more seats in the National Assembly (Parliament)”, Armen Badalyan assures.
The ruling RP calls itself an authoritative party and would not want formation of proportional lists based on parity grounds. At the same time, such influential political force as PA, interested in fair elections, is a major problem for the republicans who do not want PA to be on its own.
Therefore, PA is RP’s partner in the coalition that turns into a serious competitor. Account should be given to the fact that PA and the Armenian National Congress (ANC), opposition, have more constructive relations, than ANC and RP.
Gagik Tsarukyan has not made any outbursts against the ANC or its leader former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan since autumn 2008. But the reason for such tolerant attitude to radical opposition of the PA leader and his supporters is still unclear. On the other hand, former President Robert Kocharyan, President Serzh Sargsyan and his RP have always been the main target for ANC’s criticism.
In such political atmosphere, the so-called third power may be formed. PA seems to be shifting the becoming such force. Amayak Ovannisyan, Chairman of the Association of Armenian Political Analysts, says that formation of the third force from PA, which could lead voters unwilling to vote for RP or ANC, may gain quite positive results at the elections.
PA has not fully formed as the third power. Meanwhile, it turns out that the idea of the third power the government tried to realize unsuccessfully for years to mark the voters off from ANC is being realized by PA. But the latter turned out to be an independent political power, causing a lot of problems for the government, especially on the background of well-organized opposition.
