December 6, 2007

Heritage Holds Special Session:
Will Not Propose Presidential Candidate

Yerevan—The Heritage Party’s Council today held a special sitting devoted to the Armenian presidential elections scheduled for February 19, 2008. In opening the meeting, Heritage board member Vardan Khachatrian spoke about the current political developments in the country. During the ensuing discussion, the council members and other session participants expressed regret that Heritage leader Raffi K. Hovannisian’s legitimate right to run for the presidency was yet again denied on artificial and unlawful grounds.

The delegates then examined the question of supporting any other presidential contender to be registered by the Central Election Commission, but no consensus was reached. In this respect, Raffi Hovannisian remarked: “I have stated on several occasions that the office of the president is not an end unto itself, and this creed is shared by all of us. The nomination by Heritage of a presidential candidate bears the objective of fulfilling our aspirations for both the nation and its state, the patriot and the citizen. Once again, we have been deprived of that promise but, as a leading political force, we have no right to sit on the sidelines. We must stand alongside our citizens and, with the aim of ensuring for them the opportunity to make a free and meaningful choice, we shall open before the people every available avenue to familiarize themselves with the agendas, programs, platforms, and qualifications of all nominees for the presidency.

Subsequently, the Heritage Party’s Council decided:

1. Not to nominate a candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections;
2. To empower the party board to make the final decision, following the official registration of all presidential contenders, with respect to the format of the party’s participation in the elections; and
3. Meanwhile and to that end, to instruct the party board to ascertain from all nominees their vision for Armenia and their proposed nationwide solutions, policies, programs, and governance mechanisms, as well as to shed light on their individual and collective qualifications, and then to inform the Armenian public of its findings and conclusions.

The Heritage Council also determined that the Heritage board should hold talks and consultations before the presidential elections and, once having carefully examined the merits, tenets, and platforms of the candidates, reach judgment on behalf of the party.