ARP’s political amnesia and Tsarukyan’s bitter past

A member of the Republican party, former prime minister of defense Artak Zakarian has announced on “Yerkir Media” TV on June 23 that one should never compare what happened in 2015 between “Prosperous Armenia” party and what is happening around Prosperous Armenia today.

“We have had many collaborations with the Prosperous Armenia party, and many things in common, but we also had some essential problems with each other where our paths parted, but never had the Republican party demonstratively violated the opposition, the MPs,  and such a treatment towards the supporters of MPs…”– said Zakarian․

“Fact investigation platform” decided to recall the public confrontation that took place in 2015 between ARP and Prosperous Armenia due to which the PA leader Tsarukyan announced about leaving politics.

Properous Armenia among the convinced opposition

In 2014 Prosperous Armenia signed an alliance with non-governmental forces, namely, “Heritage” party and Armenian National Congress. They opposed to the constitutional reforms qualifying that process as an “attempt by the authorities to reproduce.”

On February 5, 2015 PA leader Gagik Tsarukyan announced at the political conference that Armenia had authorities of new quality which will be constituted of new people.

“We have to seriously prepare for the formation of new authorities through new elections” – Tsarukyan had announced.

Days later a member of Prosperous Armenia party, Artak Khachatryan who spoke against the law on “Turnover tax” was beaten up. After that incident PA made a statement blaming the political authorities for what had happened.

This was followed by a number of threats by the elite of ARP against the PA party the culmination of which was Serzh Sarsgyan’s speech at the sitting of ARP executive body.

Serzh Sargsyan’s famous speech on Gagik Tsarukyan

On February 12, 2015 the acting president, leader of ARP, Serzh Sarsgyan made an extensive statement at the ARP executive sitting on PAP and particularly the its leader with humiliating qualifications and personal insults.

According to Sargsyan, it was ridiculous that Tsarukyan had big political ambitions. “The political actor Gagik Tsarukyan has become evil for our country,”– he stated.

The acting president did not restrain in his public speech from labeling and humiliating his political opponent.

“For years it was me who forbade you to publicly respond to Gagik Tsarukyan’s nonsensical statements personally blocking that chaos. It was me who forbade everyone to conjugate the label of “Dodi Gago” attached by people. It was me who encouraged everyone to give time after every dangerous sentence uttered here and there and explain him to correct his mistake”- said Sargsyan.  

At the end of his speech the ARP leader spoke about the steps required to take to ultimately drive Tsarukyan away from politics. Particularly Tsarukyan was released from the position of member of National Security Council to which he was appointed by the very order of Serzh Sargsyan, a process of depriving Tsarukyan of mandate started  in the Parliament, inspections by tax bodies were carried out at the enterprises belonging to Tsarukyan and Tsarukyan’s participation in many criminal offenses would be checked.

With this speech the acting president, in fact, did not even hide that the steps against the biggest opposition force had political reason, i.e., the demand of change of power during the speech in Abovyan.

The ARP members follow the example of their leader

Both at the same sitting and in many interviews days after that the members continued the same rhetoric against Tsarukyan.

The Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan who was also Tsarukyan’s relative-in-law, promised at the sitting of the executive body to apply levers in order to resolve the situation: “Those who do not understand after first, second, third times, we must tell them one more time and hit them on their heads…”․

At the same sitting, the acting minister of Education and Science at that time, vice-president of ARP Armen Ashotyan stated that they “had turned “Dodi Gago” into Mister Tsarukyan” and now the reverse process should be carried out.

Tsarukyan leaves politics

On the following days, according to media publications, about 25 PA members were detained. Extensive inspections started in the enterprises belonging to Tsarukyan.

However, the situation dramatically changed after the meeting of Serzh Sargsyan and Gagik Tsarukyan on February 17 after which PA party spread an announcement to cancel all the foreseen rallies.

On March 5 the PAP leader announced at the snap summit about leaving active politics. He put down the authorities of the president of the party and the leader of the faction.

In fact, the fight against Gagik Tsarukyan was lead not with political arguments but with widespread humiliations and insults. The speeches and interviews of ARP members were covered and spread through all major television channels and media websites. At the end, Tsarukyan left politics and the PAP initially speaking against the Constitutional reforms gave their consent․

Thus, Artak Zakaryan’s statement, that ARP  had never demonstratively violated the opposition is false, as in 2015 a political campaign had started in the face of the first face of the leader of the Party against Gagik Tsarukyan due to which the latter temporarily left the politics.

Lusine Voskanyan