“There is a large segment of the electorate that finds it hard to vote for Levon Ter-Petrosyan,” Hovsep Khurshudyan, the Heritage spokesman, said, explaining the party’s position. Khurshudyan claimed these voters would rather back a young leader like Martirosyan than opposition heavyweights like Ter-Petrosyan or even Hovannisyan. “Gagik Beglaryan should have been up against a new, young figure whom those influential politicians would carry on their shoulders to victory,” he said, referring to the incumbent Yerevan mayor who will lead the ruling Republican Party’s electoral list. Khurshudyan also complained that leaders of the 18 opposition groups making up the ANC picked Ter-Petrosyan as their mayoral candidate on Sunday without consulting with Heritage. “I note with regret that that did not happen as a result of negotiations with Heritage,” he told a news conference. “The decision that they put at the negotiating table was essentially non-negotiable. There were only a few things subject to discussion.” Hovsepyan agreed with those who think that the ANC’s and Heritage’s failure to team up for the upcoming polls will lose the Armenian opposition votes. “Many people will stay at home [on May 31] as a result of apathy and disappointment with the opposition,” he said. He claimed at the same time that the opposition will nonetheless win a majority in the municipal assembly. Of course at present these allegations don’t matter any more and it’s obvious what the victorious version is for the Heritage. By the way, on this occasion the governmental MPs congratulated the Heritage MPs.
