Gagik Tsarukyan won’t lay down his mandate: BHK declares itself an opposition (video)
After the 8th special congress of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), which lasted for about an hour, BHK newly appointed Chairman Naira Zohrabyan told the journalists that 170 out of 189 invited delegates were present and only BHK lawmaker Lyova Khachatryan abstained from voting. One issue was on the agenda of the congress- the election of the party’s Chairman. Mrs. Zohrabyan noted that during the upcoming NA session BHK would announce that BHK is an opposition. What relates to the issue whether Gagik Tsarukyan will hold the position of faction’s head or not, she said that the issue must be discussed not during the congress but inside the faction. “Me as a secretary of the faction, periodically informed Galust Sahakyan about the absences of Gagik Tsarukyan. All those absences were considered valid by the NA President. I don’t understand where the news that Gagik Tsarukyan lays down his mandate has arisen from. Gagik Tsarukyan remains in the party.” Naira Zohrabyan informed that after the congress political council’s session was held, where it was decided that Vardan Vardanyan was elected Deputy Chairman of political council, “During the upcoming congress we will carry out charter change and will separate the positions of party’s president and president of the political council, after which Vardan Vardanyan will become President of the political council. Now we weren’t able to do it as it must be informed to the Ministry of Justice a month earlier.” She noted that Tigran Urikhanyan continues to be BHK press secretary, “You know who have left the party and I don’t know whether there will be new ones. What relates to Vardan Oskanyan, he has submitted an application for leaving the party. I can say only this and he will make statement, but one thing is clear, he won’t lay down his mandate.” Asked whether it is possible that together with the change of the political course the approach of BHK, for example in terms of the constitutional changes, might be changed, Mrs. Zohrabyan answered, “Why must it have been changed? Our position in terms of the constitutional changes hasn’t been changed.” She asked to touch upon the rest of the issues later, “There are questions, which cannot be answered now. I assure that BHK will restore its reputation very fast.”
