"Haykakan Zhamanak": Nikol Pashinyan to hold news conference.

The paper says it has learned from sources that Nikol Pashinyan, the editor-in-chief the opposition daily Haykakan Zhamanak, is going to hold a news conference to respond to a statement made by the Heritage party leader, Raffi Hovhannisyan.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Hovhannisyan, who is running for parliament from the majority constituency No. 7, said he didn’t know that Pashinyan too, had filed his candidacy in the same electoral district.

“When I nominated myself, I didn’t know there was another opposition candidate,” he said.

Pashinyan is going to represent the opposition alliance Armenian National Congress (ANC) in the May 6 parliamentary polls.

“The statement gives rise to several questions. Would Mr Hovhannisyan have given up the idea of nominating himself in the same constituency had he known about Pashinyan? If the answer to that question is positive, why doesn’t he then withdraw his candidacy? If no, why does he justify himself? Is it because he sees anything bad about that? If he does, he can again withdraw his candidacy. But instead, Raffi Hovhannisyan offers a political deal to the Armenian National Congress,” the paper comments.

It says further that none of the ANC representatives, including Pashinyan, has made any comment in that connection.

Pashinyan’s news conference, according to the paper, is scheduled for Monday, March 26.