Armenia’s RPA: Cooperation with Tsarukyan bloc, YELQ “inevitable”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Spokesman for the Republican Party of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov said on Thursday, April 6 that cooperation with both Tsarukyan and YELQ blocs is inevitable, drawing a distinction, however, between cooperation and coalition.

Speaking after an RPA Executive Body session, Sharmazanov said it’s too early to discuss the issue of parliamentary coalitions as the Central Electoral Commission has yet to provide a final assessment and sum up the elections to the National Assembly, held on April 2.

In response to a question on whether the ruling party leaves the door open for joining forces with Tsarukyan bloc, Sharmazanov said that the alliance has gained an impressive number of votes.

“Forming a coalition is one thing, establishing cooperation is quite another,” he said, according to Panorama.am.

“Under the new Constitution, all the political forces - opposition or government - cannot but collaborate. Cooperation with Tsarukyan bloc and YELQ is inevitable. Cooperation isn’t limited to coalition.”

Also, Sharmazanov expressed hope that partnership through free and ideological debates won’t be ruled out.

Based on results calculated in all the 2009 polling stations, the Republican party leads with 49.12% of votes (771 247 ballots), followed by the Tsarukyan bloc with 27.32% (428 965), YELQ with 7.77% (122 049) and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun with 6.57% (103 173).