YEREVAN. – Armenia’s deputy parliament speaker, ruling Republican Party (RPA) MP Eduard Sharmazanov has a higher opinion about Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) than its key member, Armenia’s former FM Vardan Oskanyan, Sharmazanov told Armenian News-NEWS.am, commenting on Oskanyan’s statement that the ruling coalition has been an imitation.

“If Vardan Oskanyan who is second on PAP’s proportional list and has joined the party with great enthusiasm thinks that the political force he has joined has been involved in imitations and has only been an observer, it’s his problem. Unlike him, I have a higher opinion about PAP,” Sharmazanov mentioned.

To note, Vardan Oskanyan had told Radio Liberty that During all those years Armenia’s ruling coalition has only been an imitation and the Republican Party has done whatever it wanted, because of that the Republican Party is responsible for the serious social-economic condition in the country.

“It is true that Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) which I have joined recently is a part of the coalition but the Republican Party never needed its partners - PAP and Orinats Yerkir,” Oskanyan had said.

Prosperous Armenia Party is a political power included in the ruling coalition. Founded by Armenian biggest businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, the party debuted in 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections, winning 29 seats in 131-seat Armenia’s National Assembly.

The proportional list of the party includes 165 names. PAP has also nominated MP candidates with the majority election system. Prosperous Armenia Party’s election campaign slogan is: “Believe, trust, demand!”

The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) is a ruling conservative party in Armenia founded on 2 April, 1990, and registered on 14 May, 1991, being the first officially registered socio-political organization in the independent Republic of Armenia.

The founder of the party was Ashot Navasardyan. After his death the party was headed by former Armenian prime minister, very influential political figure, Vazgen Sargsyan, who was killed in 1999 terrorist attack in the parliament. He was replaced by another Armenian Premier Andranik Margaryan. After Margaryan’s death, the incumbent Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan took the office of the chairman of RPA board.

Since 2003, the Republican Party is a core member of the ruling coalition along with the Prosperous Armenia and Orinats Yerkir parties. RPA has majority of seats in the Armenian parliament since 2003.

The Republican Party of Armenia will run in the parliamentary elections under its new slogan: “Let us believe to change!” The Party’s proportional list includes 253 names.

RPA has also nominated MP candidates with the majority election system in 33 electoral districts.