YEREVAN. – Armenia’s opposition Heritage Party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian withdrew his candidacy from capital Yerevan’s Electoral District No. 7, where he was to run for a majority-election parliamentary seat against pro-government businessman Samvel Aleksanyan, and Haykakan Zhamanak daily’s chief editor and opposition bloc Armenian National Congress (ANC) member, Nikol Pashinyan.         

On Monday’s press conference, Hovannisian noted that he met with ANC and opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party representative, in the past several days, to discuss his offer of supporting one opposition candidate in each electoral district, but ANC had refused his proposal.   

“Our offer was turned down, and I regret that. This was a matter of an oppositional demeanor, ambitions, [and] self-respect. I decided to withdraw my candidacy. Nonetheless, I wish all the best and success to all pro-government and opposition candidates, who will run in the forthcoming National Assembly elections,” Raffi Hovannisian noted.