Yerevan /Mediamax/. In the interview to Mediamax, Armenian second President Robert Kocharian described as “imperative the necessity of fair political competition during the forthcoming 2012 parliamentary elections.”

Robert Kocharian said this commenting  by Mediamax’s request on the recent statement by Prosperous Armenia Party (PPA) leader Gagik Tsarukian that during his presidency Robert Kocharian could have either created his own party, or head one of the existing ones - the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) in particular. However he did neither the first nor the second.

Commenting by Mediamax’s request on his actions of that time, Robert Kocharian said the following:

“Yes, indeed, I hadn’t established a party, nor had I strived to head one of the existing ones. The Constitution of that time gave the President enough power to confidently realize his policy at the level of cooperation with parliamentary parties without direct involvement in party activity. Moreover, it gave some advantage, as it allowed the President to stay above the party competition, being in the role of a referee during inter-party contradictions which are characteristic of any country. It’s impossible to be simultaneously a player and a referee on the field of political competition.

The constitutional reform has seriously politicized the executive power increasing the role of parliamentary parties in its formation. As far as, according to the Constitution I had only one year until the end of my presidency, I decided no to change the way of my participation in the political process, but began to attach more attention to the situation inside the coalition parties, to the Republican Party first of all. According to the agreement with Prime Ministers, Andranik Margraian and later on with Serzh Sargsyan, I recommended many successful leaders of executive structures to join the RPA to reinforce its staff potential. By the way, many of them are members of party’s leading bodies today. It was a normal political process which only strengthened the Republican Party. The RPA was quite enthusiastic about it then. We have agreed upon the RPA list at the upcoming 2003 and 2007 parliamentary elections. It was a high level cooperation between the President and the party having the strongest faction in the parliament. It was an open cooperation understandable for the society and not a kind of a secret agreement. It allowed ruling the country without focusing on a party leadership. By the way, this cooperation was the pledge of serious success in the social and economic development of the country, and bears witness only to the pragmatism of people involved in that process.

I think few people doubted then that as a President I could not only form but also head (formally and informally) the parliamentary majority. I have simply chosen another model of cooperation with the parliament and parties, which I believed would be more effective for that period of time. This model allowed the President to fully concentrate on governmental activity and preserve a wide field for maneuvers in domestic policy issues. 

The character of the polemic proved that some politicians, unfortunately, have short memory.

However, it’s all history now. It’s not important who and what could have done something or hadn’t done, or vice versa. Today it’s important to make everything possible for the progressive development of the country. To my mind, the necessity of fair political competition at the forthcoming elections is an imperative.”