YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–Paruyr Hairikian has been re-elected Chairman of the National Self-Determination Union at the 17th Congress of the Party held on Friday in Yerevan.
Rouben Vardanian still holds the position of deputy chairman of the Party–while Aram Haroutiunian has been re-elected Speaker of the NSDU Parliament.
The congress has changed the official name of the Union to Self-Determination Union–or SDU. Hairikian believes that the word national "is a disease which we should get rid of."
Delegates of the congress issued a statement supporting the President of the Republic on the issue of adoption of the Election Legislation bill developed by the standing committee on legal affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia.
Delegates also adopted a number of resolutions. In particular–the congress decided to request the Armenian Foreign Ministry not represent the problem of Artsakh as a separate–independent one–but as part of the Armenian cause.
Delegates also approved amendmen’s for the Constitution of Armenia–namely–combination of posts of president and prime minister and the reduction of their term in office.
Hairikian said that during his last meeting with Ter-Petrosyan–the president partially agreed with the idea of combining these two posts.