Tuesday, June 28 2016 08:16

 The Republican Party of Armenia remains the most influential political force in the country; so, its victory at the forthcoming elections is predictable, Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, RPA Spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters when commenting on Armenian President, RPA leader Serzh Sarsgyan's statement that the RPA will by all means win the forthcoming parliamentary elections.    

At the same time, Sharmazanov noted that the choice belongs to the citizens and if they are reluctant to vote for the political force headed by Serzh Sargsyan, no one will be able to make them do it. "Serzh Sargsyan will remain the president of Armenia until 2018. It is tactless to speak of his further activities now," he stressed.     
For his part, Head of the Armenian National Congress Faction Levon Zurabyan said that he is not surprised at President Sargsyan's intention to retain power. "This stems from the logic of the Dec 2015 constitutional reforms. We have always said that the constitutional reforms aim to help Sargsyan retain grip on power," the oppositionist said.    
Heritage Party member Tevan Poghosyan said that Sargsyan's statement is logical and fits into the election campaign. "However, being at power does not mean holding a position, he can simply be a grey cardinal and rule the country by using the party levers the way it is done in many European countries," he said. He added that the first task of the ruling party is to hold 2-3 reforms in order to get as many votes as possible.  "I would be surprised if he announced an intention to leave the politics and open the road for young politicians," he stressed. 

To note, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is sure that the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) will win the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2017. "What will I do in politics if the RPA fails in the parliamentary elections?" Sargsyan said in an interview to Reuters.  To recall, earlier Serzh Sargsyan said that in case the draft constitutional amendments were passed, he was not going to become the president, prime minister or the parliament speaker of Armenia.