Armenian speaker quits, party goes into opposition

As RIA Novosti informs, the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) party pulled out of the governing coalition late on Thursday, citing pressure from the authorities.

"Nobody is waiting for us with open arms, either the authorities or the opposition. But we are going into opposition," Artur Bagdasaryan said, adding that Orinats Yerkir had its own set of values and its own path.

"The path is to create a prosperous and well-to-do Armenia," he said.

Orinats Yerkir, headed by Bagdasaryan, had been in the governing coalition together with the Republican Party and the Dashnaktsutyun party (Armenian Revolutionary Federation) since parliamentary elections in 2003.

Bagdasaryan also thanked all the political groupings his party had been working with in the coalition.

"It was a time of failures, achievements and misfortunes," he said.

Bagdasaryan said his resignation Friday was the direct result of the party's decision to leave the coalition.

"I find it immoral to stay on in the speaker's post at a time when the Orinats Yerkir party has withdrawn from the ruling coalition," Bagdasaryan said. "I think all the party's members working in the government should leave as well."

In the past ten days, nine parliamentarians - all respected businessmen - have left the party in disagreement with the faction's policy. Experts said they sought to deprive the party of funding ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for 2007, and to force Bagdasaryan to resign.

The speaker said he would file his resignation May 22 at a parliamentary session. The resignation must be confirmed or rejected within the next five days.

Bagdasaryan said he could have held a vote of confidence on his resignation instead.

"However, I will not do this because I think it would be better and more moral to leave decently," he said said.