The head of the “Unity” Armenian national club Smbat Karakhanyan told the First Armenian News and Analyses that Moscow learnt about Tsarukyan’s decision before Armenia did. Karakhanyan negatively stated the fact that the world powers should know the intrastate decisions of Armenia before the Armenian nation. The head of the union could not particularly state why Tsarukyan withdrew from the elections but believes if the PAP is a real opposition and not a group of businessmen, it must reflect its political stance on the upcoming presidential elections and its neutrality suits only the incumbent government.
According to Karakhanyan, it is wrong for the ANC not to arrange anything and added that Ter-Petrosyan will not be nominated; instead new and young figures should come up with the help of the civic society. The exterior interference will become a tragedy.
Karakhanyan reminded Russia’s stance to support a competitive election process and the public movement. He believes the political arena in Armenia is filled with criminal figures who do nothing but to eliminate the legitimacy of property. Karakhanyan added Tsarukyan is the first oligarch in the country and the issue of property legitimacy refers to him first of all. Instead, Karakhanyan states it is good if an oligarch at some times turns to the public. This phenomenon can be accepted in case it is a natural process, but if it is done artificially to again serve the personal business interests in that case it is not acceptable.
Karakhanyan concluded Tsarukyan’s withdrawal will not affect the course of the elections. Even if he were nominated, there was a large intellectual proportion of the ANC who directly announced that they will not support Tsarukyan. So the issue of mobilization around Tsarukyan would be under a great question.
Taking into consideration all this, it is senseless to think that whatever happens in Armenian politics today cannot have any influence on the outcome of the presidential elections, Karakhanyan says.
