Domestic crisis may lead to change in power

March 2, 2010 - 14:45 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian National Congress not only organizes rallies but also carries out a great deal of work, according to Suren Surenyants, member of Republic party’s political council.

“The legitimacy of the Armenian authorities is questioned. To improve the situation, reforms are needed. Otherwise, the aggravating political crisis will lead to change in power,” Mr. Surenyants said at a joint news conference with RPA (Republican Party of Armenia) member Artak Zakaryan.

Commenting on the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, he said Armenia should ratify the protocols ahead of Turkey. “My opinion may differ from that of other ANC members. But it’s my personal view of the situation,” he said.

As to the Armenian Genocide resolution, Mr. Surenyants said it will hardly be passed in the Congress. “It’s somehow offending that the Armenian cause has become a plaything for Armenia,” he said.

For his part, Mr. Zakaryan remarked that the legitimacy of the country's leadership cannot be questioned by a 20000 rally. “All governing bodies function in accordance with the law and any talk about a domestic crisis is improper,” he said. In regard to the upcoming US House panel vote on the Armenian Genocide resolution, he said it’s “a problem of the US-Turkish relations”. “Armenia’s involvement in the process is limited to the activity of the Diaspora,” he said.

The Republican Party of Armenia

The Republican Party of Armenia is a national conservative political party in Armenia. It was the first political party in independent Armenia to be founded (2 April 1990) and registered (14 May 1991). It is the largest party of the centre-right in Armenia, and claims to have 140,000 members. The party controls most government bodies in Armenia.

At the 2003 parliamentary elections on May 25, the party received 23.5% of the popular vote, winning 31 out of 131 seats. At the last parliamentary elections on May 12, 2007, the party received 33.91% of the popular vote, winning 64 out of 131 seats. The former prime minister, Andranik Markaryan, was the leader of the party. Current President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, is the chairman of HHK board.

The Republican Party's national conservative ideology is based on tsegakron, an early 20th century Armenian nationalist ideology (roughly translated as "nation-religion"). It was formulated by Garegin Njdeh and holds that the Armenian national identity and state should carry religious significance for all ethnic Armenians.