Did rapprochement between Serzh Sargsyan and Levon Ter-Petrosyan hinder HAK in local elections? (video)
In its annual conference slated for October 30, Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party will answer the question why the party sustained defeats in the October 2 local elections in Gyumri and Vanadzor cities. On Monday evening, the party’s Board announced its resignation. Nikol Pashinyan says the resignation does not mean that the Civil Contract lost to the Republican Party or other political forces in ‘free and fair elections.’ He cannot deny that the elections were rigged at some polling stations. Levon Zurabyan, Head of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction, says the authorities used the same methods to rig the elections and ‘a usual action took place instead of elections.’ At the same time, Mr. Zurabyan did not rule out that the rapprochement of Serzh Sargsyan and Levon Ter-Petrosyan after the April war in Karabakh played a certain role in HAK’s defeat in the Sunday vote. “It might affect the outcome of elections, I do not rule out. The methods of our struggle should never pose a threat or become invitation for Azerbaijani attack,” Zurabyan stressed. He says Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Serzh Sargsyan have not met for a long time. “Their last meeting was the one which was reported in the press.” Levon Zurabyan says it is wrong to dissolve the board after the party’s defeat in local elections: it means you consider the elections to be free and fair. “You struggle against them with your participation while they rig the elections and you decide to resign as a result? It is absurd,” he said.
