YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: The decision of the RPA[former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, led by ex-President Serzh Sargsyan] -Homeland [Party] bloc [to run in the snap parliamentary elections slated for June 20] was not made easily.

Both the RPA and Artur Vanetsyan's party did not accept this decision unequivocally. Moreover, according to our information, after announcing the decision, 3 members of the Homeland [Party] wrote a petition and left [the party], albeit 3 is not a big number for a party with more than 7,000 members.

Party spokesman Sos Hakobyan said: "I do not have such data. I do not have [any] information if a petition has been written in any area, which [the petition] has not reached us yet.”

But he did not deny that there were grievances within the party about the bloc with the RPA. "It was expected that the Homeland shall run [in the aforementioned elections] separately. But there have been contacts with various—both Yerevan, provincial regional—offices [of the Homeland Party], and everyone, by and large, has understood why this is being done."

The [electoral] list [of this bloc] will be headed by Artur Vanetsyan; the second is Taron Margaryan [the former Mayor of Yerevan].