YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has become a member of the governing Republican Party of Armenia, it was announced on Tuesday.
Eduard Sharmazanov, the chief party spokesman, said that Sargsyan applied for Republican Party membership “several days ago” and that the application was swiftly approved by the party’s top governing body headed by President Serzh Sarkisian.
“I don’t think that should come as a surprise because Tigran Sargsyan is a representative of President Sarkisian’s political team and the Republican Party council supported his appointment as prime minister,” Sharmazanov told RFE/RL.
Sargsyan had had no party affiliation ever since he quit the National Democratic Union, a once influential opposition group, in the early 1990s. He had no direct involvement in political processes during his time as governor of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) from 1998-2008. Serzh Sarkisian (no relation) named him prime minister shortly after taking office in April 2008.
The Armenian premier has yet to comment on his decision to join a party that has a clear majority in parliament and controls most of the country’s central and local government bodies. Representatives of the main Armenian opposition forces offered on Tuesday differing interpretations of the move.
Ara Nranian, a parliament deputy from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, suggested that Sargsyan is seeking to strengthen his positions and “prolong the existence of his government.” He said a lack of “political support base” has been a major handicap for the prime minister.
Armen Martirosian, the chairman of the Heritage Party, said he believed that, “it’s quite logical for the prime minister to be a representative of a certain political force because he occupies one of the most important political posts in the state,” he told RFE/RL.
This man reminds me one of Hovh. Toumanian’s typical personages but it’s dificult to identify which one. This man has no face.
I guess Armenia is splitting to two parties the ARF and all the idiots who are against the ARF.Most of these people have no Armenian values or sense, They are all the grand children of once Communist Armenia who had no national pride or religion, for them MONEY is god and the banks where they deposit there dirty money is there homeland .Ofcourse the minority is respected. Long live the ARF and its holy cause.
I read somewhere that this man has absolutely no respect whatsoever for the diaspora..he just could not give a hoot about anyone outside of what is known as Armenia today…Are we possibly looking at the next President of the Republic of Armenia….? God help us all for we are, once again, going to need divine intervention to survive as a Nation….
Well i think insted talking who joined who left party .we should unite and think about Armenias future and work hand in hand to achive healthy bright nation .what i care about is one strong nation no poor no rich .
to the sake of our intrest and our land
He has joined the party of corruption and treachery.The Republican party has become the source of all evil in Armenia,so its no surprise that he has joined his own kind namely the party of crooks.