YEREVAN. – There is a new announcement—that is, with respect to Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) not running in next February’s presidential elections—and we should take note of this announcement. No change will be made in our pre-electoral functions; we have a clear program, ruling Republican Party (RPA) MP Gagik Minasyan stated during a press conference on Thursday.    

“PAP is a [political] party, it has internal problems and priorities. PAP’s decision is crucial for some [political] forces, but this is their problem,” Minasyan said assuring that PAP’s announcement changed nothing for RPA.    

He noted that PAP will maintain its status as an alternative, that this force is neither an opposition nor a pro-government force.   

To note, RPA will convene its congress on Saturday, during which incumbent President—and RPA leader—Serzh Sargsyan will be nominated as candidate in the forthcoming elections. In his pre-election speech, Sargsyan will present his main directions.

“The proposals of our candidate will differ from the others by their realism, objectiveness, and great prospect for achieving the objective,” the RPA MP stated.    

Gagik Minasyan is confident that the RPA candidate will win the elections. “Even though our initial conditions—blockade [by Azerbaijan and Turkey], undeclared war [by Azerbaijan]—were much worse, Armenia passed more mildly the ordeal [that is, the global economic downturn] that befell the entire world,” he noted.   

The MP is confident that the forthcoming presidential elections will be conducted under unprecedentedly good conditions, and he called upon Armenia’s citizenry to show activeness.