Former FM Vartan Oskanian’s joining the PAP was done for political reasons rather than ideological ones - Arman Melikyan.

Manvel Badeyan, a member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), believes that a switchover to the proportional representation system would be a violation of human rights.

Arman Melikyan, ex-minister of foreign affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), does not share this opinion.

At a debate on Friday, Badeyan voiced the opinion that a switchover to the proportional representation system would violate the rights of the people unwilling to join any party list.

With respect to elections proper, he said that he has not seen elections without violations since Armenia gained independence. Both political forces and society are to blame, he said.

As regards former FM Vartan Oskanian’s joining the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), Melikyan said it was done for political reasons rather than ideological ones. Otherwise, he would have joined the PAP back in 2008.

Armenia’s opposition will not get a heavy vote in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, he said.