Gagik Tsarukian will top the election list of his political party in snap general elections expected in December, the wealthy Armenian businessman and lawmaker said on Monday.
Tsarukian, whose alliance has the second largest faction in the outgoing parliament, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that he will personally draw up a list of candidates of his Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) in time for the ballot which is expected to be forced later this week when the Armenian National Assembly, under an apparent political agreement, is due to fail to elect a new prime minister and get dissolved by virtue of law.
“I’m still thinking about what to do to make changes,” added the tycoon, whose party only narrowly could enter the Yerevan city council in September elections won by acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s alliance by a landslide.
The BHK held several ministerial and gubernatorial posts in the Pashinian government after last spring’s power change. The party lost its posts on October 2 when many of its lawmakers voted in favor the former ruling Republican Party-drafted bill that would supposedly complicate the holding of snap elections in the near future.
Tsarukian later recommitted himself to helping Pashinian force snap general elections before the end of this year following a massive show of support for the popular government by demonstrators in Yerevan.
Asked whether the BHK will run on an opposition platform, Tsarukian said: “I cannot say now. I am for whatever my people want, I have no personal interest.”
The leader of the party that backed the Pashinian government’s failed bid to amend the electoral law ahead of the snap elections said it made no difference for him under what law to run for parliament. He said the important thing for him and his party was to ensure a fair campaign.
The BHK accused Pashinian supporters of unleashing a smear campaign against it and its mayoral candidate Naira Zohrabian in the September elections in Yerevan, a claim vehemently denied by the pro-government alliance.