YEREVAN. – If Armenia’s First President, opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan had joined the movement led by opposition Heritage Party Chairman, former FM Raffi Hovannisian—who was declared runner-up to the winner, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, as a result of the presidential election that was conducted on February 18, but who claims to be the real winner in the vote—, I believe he—and not Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan—would have prayed on Tuesday at the Armenian Genocide Memorial. Heritage’s vice-chairman Armen Martirosyan told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am, commenting on Ter-Petrosyan’s following statement: “I should have joined to do what? Should I have joined so I could pray with Vova [that is, Vladimir] Gasparyan?”

Martirosyan also stressed that, had Ter-Petrosyan joined the aforesaid movement, there could have been a completely different political process.

“Now, excuses will have to be found [from their part]. It seems Vova Gasparyan comes to everyone as a lifebuoy. They are forgetting how many times Raffi Hovannisian called upon all [political] forces to come and be with the people,” Martirosyan said.

To the remark that the ANC leader stressed that he is not criticizing Hovannisian and that most of their activists were at capital city Yerevan’s Liberty Square during Hovannisian’s rallies, Heritage’s official responded as follows:   

“In what [other] form does a criticism be, if he is saying, ‘Should I have come and pray?’ or that there is no political process? There was a political process in 2008, but there is no political process now? How can a post-election process not be political?”     

Ter-Petrosyan’s remarks, according to which whoever wants to become the President of Armenia should come and win the forthcoming Yerevan Council election, Heritage’s representatives responded:

“Then, in 2008, he [that is, Ter-Petrosyan] should have waited, taken power in Yerevan, and only then should he have attempted to become president. One has nothing to do with the other. There are presidential elections to become the President.” 

Armen Martirosyan stressed that all these are just excuses, whereas in 2008, Heritage’s representatives were on hand at Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s rallies and, also, during the March 1, 2008 tragedy in downtown Yerevan.   

“But we saw none of their representatives these days. So, finding excuses is not the best method; everything is much more apparent,” Martirosyan concluded.