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Armenian opposition becomes neutralized

12 March 2015 [14:50] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Laman Sadigova

The Armenian authorities claim that there is no reason to assume that the political opposition has any real strength or that it is aiming to restore the power. Even so, it is quite clear that Armenia is currently undergoing political upheaval as opposing political agendas have come to clash.

Regardless of officials' claims, not all is indeed calm in Armenia.

Everything changed when the main Armenian newfound oppositionist and former leader of the Prosperous Armenia capitulated before the regime.

It all begun when the Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan slammed the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), Gagik Tsarukyan for not upholding his obligations and ignoring the people's wishes. Such criticism eventually led to a massive battle of will in between the two officials.

Tsarukyan, during the party’s special session on March 5 announced his decision to step down as Prosperous Armenia leader and leave politics for good.

The oligarch argued that he wished to save Armenia from a bloody confrontation. "I am leaving politics. I will no longer be a party leader. But I will continue to be of assistance to my country and my people. This will be realized in other spheres and areas. I will continue to build churches, schools, sports stadiums, to help artists and scientists in my country. But I will do this as an Armenian, as a citizen of Armenia, as Gagik Tsarukyan," he said.

Believed to have suffered aggravated pressure, Tsarukyan bowed before Armenian president's will.

Is everything as simple as it seems?

Armenia's political crisis has often been pinned on the opposition's rising power, with politicians arguing that the opposition had exceeded its standing in Armenia by generating unwanted tensions.

The representative of the Social Democratic Hunchak Party, Vahan Shirkhanyan claims that the opposition has no ideological basis on which Armenia' success can be based on.

Armenia has been torn apart by internal infightings powers have attempted to assert themselves as predominant, causing frictions to erode at the political structure.

Despite claims by Armenian experts that the country will benefit from a new opposition structure -the Armenian authorities will either bring about a new opposition or will be suppressing the opposition field to handle protests in the society, information security expert Tigran Kocharyan told Ria Novosti - it is likely the formation of a new opposition coalition will make little to no difference.

According to political scientist, Ruben Mehrabyan, the Armenian National Congress is simply trying to win the public's trust, following a severe crisis.

Opened protests against the authorities, followed by a latent confrontation in both the public and political spheres have left Armenians feeling disenfranchised. The opposition also complained that the current administration has been unable to secure a successful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Could the predictions of Leonid Savin, the Russian chief editor of the Geopolitics magazine, be so close to the truth? His analysis made at a round table meeting organized by Svobodnaya Press covered what methods the West used to weaken Russia through organization of coups across post-Soviet countries.

Moreover sanctions directed against Russia by the European Union reduce Moscow's influence in the region.

Savin also predicted that the situation in Armenia will begin deteriorating this year.

It could well be Armenia requires an overall change. Any hope of unification remains unlikely at present.

The real question is - can things get worse?

URL: http://www.today.az/news/regions/139177.html

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