Serzhik Clears the Field of Competitors on the Eve of Presidential Elections

Erevan/11.10.12/Turan-ArmInfo: On October 10, late at night, there was a regular meeting of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan with the leader of Prosperous Armenia Ghaghik Tsarukyan.

According to the newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak, the results of the meeting, as well as itself, are kept in strict confidence. However, earlier media reported that Sargsyan gave Tsarukyan a week for reconsideration, after which the latter had to decide to support Sargsyan in the presidential election or not. That period expired on Monday, after which the above meeting took place.

Meanwhile, according to the Haykakan Zhamanak daily, the other day to Nizhny Tagil, where Tsarukyan once served imprisonment for rape, a film crew shot a documentary about the "prison routine" of Prosperous Armenia leader. The film features the documents on the Tsarukyan case. The publication notes that a copy of the movie "in a beautiful package" was sent to Tsarukyan in order to "help him to decide soon."

Note that Prosperous Armenia is backed by the former President Robert Kocharian, who intends to return to power. Previous to this the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Vardan Oskanian also joined the party. Soon, however, a criminal case was filed against him and he was stripped of parliamentary immunity. The harassment against Oskanian was condemned by Kocharian.

Some experts believe the coalition Tsarukyan-Kocharian is supported by Moscow, which

wants regime change, because it thinks the current President of Armenia is too independent, and is dissatisfied with his attempts to shift to the West.

The near future will show whether Sargsyan can clean up the political field of Armenia and stay on as head of state. -02B-