"Haykakan Zhamanak": Hrazan elections showed that voters for ANC are ideologists.

The newspaper had an interview with political engineer Armen Badalyan.

In commenting on the statement issued by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), he said that it was a PR move to show unity within the ruling circles.

“A PR campaign in the RPA’s interests: ‘Just see the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP)is doing nothing. It is beside the RPA, and the coalition may win if it is united.’”

With respect to the reports on RPA-PAP agreements, Badalyan said that the problem is the subject of their agreements. If, under the agreements, the RPA is to get 67 seats in parliament, that is to gain a majority, it is contrary to the PAP’s interests. In this case, the PAP will come to its end. “If, after the parliamentary elections, the RPA proves able to persuade the PAP into supporting Serzh Sargsyan in the next presidential election, and Mr Sargsyan is miraculously elected president, the coalition will not continue after the presidential election. The PAP will get a fatal blow and come to its end,” the expert said.

According to him, the process of marginalizing the PAP will get under way in the new parliament. The party must be well aware it will come to its end should it reach an agreement on the seats in parliament with the RPA. According to Badalyan, the PAP and the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) must not let the RPA gain a majority in parliament. Otherwise, it will retain this majority for the following five, ten or even 20 years. To prevent such a situation, the PAP and the ANC must reach an agreement on the 41 single-member constituencies: the ANC will support both its own and PAP candidates and vice versa.

“There is no alternative. The PAP and ANC must unite against the RPA in the 41 single-member constituencies. They should realize that the present task is not a victory, that is, gaining a majority in parliament. Rather, they must do their utmost to prevent the RPA from gaining this majority. If three forces get an equal number of seats, no one can say which of them will form a coalition – the PAP and RPA or the PAP and ANC,” Badalyan said.

What about the mayor election in Hrazdan city the expert said, "Hrazan elections showed that voters for ANC are ideologists, they do not vote for money. It means this is a stable electorate, and this is a victory that ANC has such a stable electorate."