A few branches of the Social Democratic Henchakyan Party have released a statement yesterday voicing distrust for SDHK Chairwoman Lyudmila Sargsyan. The statement runs, "To overcome the unhealthy atmosphere within the party, we convene a special congress December 16-17 at the request of an absolute majority of the SDHK branch. Based on the foregoing, we express distrust for Chairwoman of the Party Lyudmila Sargsyan, with our participation in the extraordinary congress." Thus it already becomes reality what the media has been speaking about during the past couple of months. Let us remember that according to the media releases and rumors circulating in political circles the government stubbornly wishes to segregate this party from the ANC and they are trying to do this by dismissing L. Sargsyan. The purpose of the governmental project is to create a trustworthy oppositional force from the three traditional parties – the ARF, SDHK and HRAK. By deflecting from the coalition the ARF has been making some attempts of cooperating with some other political forces. The government succeeded in fragmenting the HRAK by creating the Armenakan Ramkavar structure. So it’s the turn of the SDHK. Recently an evictee from the Heritage party Vardan Khachatryan has become a member of the Central Bureau (CB) of the SDHK. And the government intends to substitute the current chair of the party L. Sargsyan with V. Khachatryan. Yesterday’s statement was signed by the CB members Gevorg Perkuperkyan and Arsen Kupelyan as well as 7 regional chapters. Let us remember that it was already known that the coming congress of the party was planned for January 9. What was the reason that the mentioned individuals and the 7 chapters didn’t wait three more weeks and decided to hold the congress on the Christmas Eve? The words “the unhealthy plight created within the party” were repeated by a SDHK member Vahan Shirkhanyan when she was talking to us. He didn’t wish to mention the real reason. “This is the internal problem of the party, which has gone a long way in history. I think that the interest of the newspapers is not very adequate.” We tried to find out this reason from the main reason why this special congress is planned to be held. Lyudmila Sargsyan told us, “This unhealthy plight was created here by the SDHK chairman Sedrak Atchemyan with the help of Vahan Shirkhanyan. We have grounds to say that they are planning to implement a governmental project – separate the SDHK from the ANC so that they continue the destruction process within the ANC as well. In parallel with that they are trying to create an alternative pocket opposition from the traditional parties, which will be controllable by the government and will be an alternative force to the ANC. During its whole history the Henchak party has never betrayed its nation. Today’s behavior of Atchemyan I consider treason to the history of the party and the nation in general. In order to serve his own interests he sacrifices the party. They have forgotten that for 3-4 years the Henchak party has been in struggle with injustice. The party has been in trouble; our friends have been beaten and arrested. We have carried an active fight and we have done all that to restore the constitutional order in the country.” Sargsyan also added that 5 out of the 7 signed chapters do not exist. “From among the mentioned chapters only Sargis Tkhruni and Aghasi branch of Kapan exist. There is no regional department in Armavir. There is only an office in Echmiadzin. The Mets Murad branch in Armavir marz was dissolved 3 years ago. And especially there is no such chair in that so-called chapter named Hovhannes Etoyan. I don’t even know him. Maybe he was a member but I don’t know him personally and who appointed him chair of the branch? The chair of the Hayk Bzhshkyants veteran’s union Suren Muradyan is an 86-87 years old man and very respected by me. By being against Ter-Petrosyan prior to the presidential elections 2008 he refused from the bureau and left the party. The Paramaz branch of Meghri survived several months. The chair of this structure turned the party office into a retail store and wasn’t doing any party work. There is no such thing as Arshil Gorki youth union in Vanadzor. If it had existed it should have been adopted by the session of the party board. Nothing like that ever happened. And I met with its officer Artur Khoyetsyan two days ago. He is even not a party member. Here there are only several young people, who are supporters,” says Sargsyan. “Khoyetsyan said that Atchemyan had given 45.000 AMD to rent space and create this structure. I don’t avoid saying that this is a belittled behavior. Just for test in two months, please go check whether there is such a structure in Vanadzor or not. The Armenian economy is moldered. The return of the territories is only months ahead. During this period the government needs to exclude opposition so that they realize the very least humiliating step. For this reason they are annihilating the parties. This is much more dangerous than what’s currently happening within the party. We will figure something out within the party but this fragmentation will be critical for the whole pan-Armenian Henchak family,” says a SDHK member Gurgen Yeghiazaryan. In L. Sargsyan’s words the extraordinary party congress was summoned with fraudulence. According to the SDHK bylaw a special congress can be summoned only with the absolute majority of the CB members. And in this case only two members signed their consent to summon a congress. But the CB has 6 members. It turns out that a wing of the CB independently holds a congress so that they fire L. Sargsyan from the post of the party chairwoman. V. Shirkhanyan and G. Perkuperkyan didn’t admit this fact. We told Shirkhanyan that his party comrades are blaming him of implementing a governmental project within the party and that he was envoy of the government in the SDHK. “Tomorrow they may say that I am cooperating with Bin Laden. Shall I respond to anything they say? I have proved with my deeds who I am and what views I have,” responded Mr. Shirkhanyan. Are they sure within the SDHK that their party is strong and that Shirkhanyan and Atchemyan won’t fragment their structure? “99% of the structure is with us. Atchemyan is a foreigner in Armenia and for him the bylaw doesn’t mean anything. He is also a foreigner in the all-henchak family. They goal is to banish the Armenian office of the SDHK from the all-henchak family. I am sure that the CB members of the SDHK Armenia have a healthy way of thinking and will vote for Armenia and not Atchemyan,” says Sargsyan. “Atchemyan has intruded into our reality with his muddy boots and is trying to ignore our legislation, party structure and all the platform approaches. I can qualify his activity in the aspect of corruption as innovation. There is political corruption term but the actions of Atchemyan are inner party corruption. This is an unknown phenomenon in our society. These people are only several lost young people of our country. And by brining these corruption phenomena to the party Atchemyan is also raising his hand to the future by distracting our young people. Who gave this person the right to bribe these young people,” asks another SDHK member Ararat Mkrtchyan. Nonetheless, Atchemyan and Shirkhanyan together with their supporters will try to convene a congress to dismiss L. Sargsyan from the post of the party chair. It is not excluded that they may try to dismiss her from the party together with some other SDHK members. Indeed later there will be the problem of taking the party stamp and the office. They will probably do this through judicial instances. According to our information the government has promised that if the things turn out that way they will do their best to ensure that the court verdict is on behalf of Atchemyan and Shirkhanyan. Yesterday we tried to find out where they are planning to summon the special congress and what issues will they be discussing exactly. Perkuperkyan and Shirkhanyan avoided answering these questions. The drummer said that they might hold it in Yerevan. Shirkhanyan said that the location of the congress is being discussed. According to our information the congress will be held in Tsakhkadzor. “Does the 168-Zham really have to know what issues we are going to discuss during our congress. When me resolve the issues and make decisions we will publicize those to the extent we find expedient,” concluded Shirkhanyan.
P.S. Yesterday L. Sargsyan together with 3 other Henchak party members addressed a petition to the pro-henchak family. It specifically says, “Dear henchak comrades by this steps certain sold out people are endangering and attempting to fragment our Henchak party. We have numerously raised this alert. First we should register that this statement and the expected “congress” are illegal and are not effective in Armenia in accordance with the law on parties of Armenia. On October 31 of the current year, according to the charter of the party, the supreme body of the Henchak party summoned a session, during which it was decided to hold a party congress on January 9 of 2010. By trampling the decision of the supreme body of the Henchak party they summon an extraordinary congress to embarrass a group of pro-henchak members.”