Vazgen Manoukian Enters The Fray
Following on from two previous statements from the Heritage and Armenian Pan-National Movement opposition parties in Armenia about the need to decide upon a common presidential candidate in the hope that it will unite all opposition forces in time for the presidential election scheduled for early next year comes another. This time, though, it is from veteran political figure, Vazgen Manoukian.
Manukian again warned that Armenia’s divided opposition will suffer another crushing defeat if it fails to close ranks ahead of the election due next February or March. He said he is ready to act as its consolidator.
“I have stated on a number of occasions that I am ready to shoulder that responsibility, just as I did in 1988, 1990 and during the war [with Azerbaijan,]” Manukian told a news conference. “But I do realize that the matter can not be solved by a single individual or a party. The matter can be solved only with a consolidation of the entire society and opposition forces that sincerely want change.”
“My gut feeling is that we will manage to do that in 2008,” he added.
[…]
Unlike most other opposition parties, Manukian’s National Democratic Union (AZhM) boycotted the May 12 parliamentary elections that ended in a humiliating defeat for President Robert Kocharian’s two main 2003 challengers, Stepan Demirchian and Artashes Geghamian.
Considered to have unfairly lost the 2006 presidential election to the then incumbent first president of Armenia Levon Ter Petrosian, Manoukian can certainly be considered one of the country’s most intelligent politicians. Serving as prime minister in 1990 and acting as Armenia’s defense minister at the beginning of the Karabakh conflict, Manoukian is now considered long in the tooth by some. However, in recent conversations with young Armenians, his name still demands a certain amount of respect.
Whether that is enough to rise above petty personal ambitions and rivalries among opposition party leaders, however, is anybody’s guess. With Manoukian’s announcement, four possible opposition candidates for the 2008 presidential election have now been named, although one of them — ironically enough then president Levon Ter Petrosian who defeated Manoukian in an election now considered to be falsified — has not confirmed whether he will or not.
The fourth is believed to be Orinats Yerkir’s Artur Baghdasarian.
Vazgen Manoukian, Opposition Rally, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2004
- Published:
- 07.12.07 / 11pm by Onnik
- Category:
- Armenia, Armenia Presidential Election 2008, Candidates, Parties
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