Friday, October 10 2014

 The "magnificent four of the Parliament" (Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), Armenian National Congress (ANC), ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party and Heritage Party), which started a joint fight against the ruling regime and enjoys the support of wide public masses, has transformed into a nationwide movement and has retained its four-party format, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, ANC Leader, the first President of Armenia, said at today's rally in Liberty Square in Yerevan.     

He pointed out that ARF Dashnaktsutyun, which refused to join the "nationwide movement" for certain reasons, will continue the fight together with the other three forces at the parliamentary level, and now the "nationwide movement" will be led by the People's Party of Armenia (leader Stepan Demirchyan), ANC, PAP and Heritage. "So, the "magnificent four" will remain a "magnificent four", said Ter-Petrosyan. 

When speaking of the rumors that the second president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan is behind this movement and Orinats Yerkir Party has also joined the movement, Ter-Petrosyan assured the people that all these rumors are being spread by the authorities. "Kocharyan and Orinats Yerkir have nothing to do with our movement, but if they also want to fight Serzh Sargsyan's regime together with us or separately, we will support them", he said.     

He also refuted the information that the rally is directed against Armenia's accession to the Eurasian Economic Union. Ter-Petrosyan pointed out that these rumors are also being spread intentionally by the authorities. "We do not mind Armenia's joining the EAEU. Moreover, we think that it is a fait accompli", he said. 

Ter-Petrosyan also disproved the reports that the four is going to engage in sabotage. "Our struggle will be constitutional. All of our actions will comply with the Constitution. So, any obstacles will be regarded as violation of human rights and democratic freedoms," the first President said.

He said that the four will use civilized methods in its fight against the ruling regime. "But we will be honest and will call a thief a thief and an assassin an assassin. It is time to free Armenia from the illegal regime. Serzh Sargsyan was never legally elected President. He usurped power through electoral fraud, violence and 10 deaths. The same is true for the parliament," Ter-Petrosyan said.

He said that the key problems of Armenia are poverty, corruption, migration, bribery, unemployment. "By their criminal actions the ruling regime has forced the people to start a struggle against it. And now there is no alternative to mid-term presidential and parliamentary elections," Ter-Petrosyan said.

He said that the Serzhik Go Away!!! slogan is not a threat or a warning but a valedictory.
In conclusion, he said that the date of the next rally will be made known in two-three days. "I am sure that even more people will attend it," Ter-Petrosyan said.