Hovhan Mandakuni refers in his political analysis to “Hraparak” newspaper which reported an interesting article stating the EPP politicians’ statements of the PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan. It started when Tsarukyan applied for the membership to the EPP. The application was rejected but there was no explanation why. “Hraparak” reports a document where the PAP is characterized by the European People’s Party representatives as a political party exempt of any ideology, the leader is an oligarch, the dominating and primary component is only the material one in the face of charity. Al these factors characterize the PAP.
“The party left an impression of a mechanism to seize the power and increase it instead of a one based on true values.”
“The delegation was in a confusion to see the leader being an extremely well-off oligarch who assimilated his personal wealth and interests with those of the party.”
“Adopting a populist air and showing not understandable financial and material assistance to the citizens (which is something between an electoral bribe and a charity) the “Prosperous Armenia” turned to a political power.”
“Moreover, it is impossible to find any traits of democracy in the party because of the lack of any intra-party discussions, since everything depends on the will of the leader.”
The document also refers to the business side of Tsarukyan’s activities and comes to the conclusion that the latter is a businessman rather than a politician.
Thus, Mandakuni concludes that Tsarukyan’s recent visit to Brussels was a “review examination” on the same test and most probably failed it again. This conclusion was drawn from the speech of the president of the European Parliament who stated Tsarukyan is a good candidate for the presidential elections since he has humane and optimistic character. This characterization, As Mandakuni states, emphasizes Tsarukyan’s apolitical and not an ideological figure in politics, hence reassuring that nothing actually changed in the EPP views about the PAP.