ArmInfo.The Fatherland Party, led by former Director of the National Security Service of Armenia Artur Vanetsyan, respects the decision of former Artsakh Defense Army Commander Samvel Babayan to support the Fatherland candidate in the Vagharshapat elections.
Fatherland Party Council member Sos Hakobyan stated this, noting that "they had no further discussions beyond this support."
"We are grateful to all opposition forces that already support us or wish to do so in these elections. We reiterate our position: we are ready to discuss and cooperate with any force waging a genuine fight against the current government," Hakobyan said.
He emphasized the right of everyone, including Samvel Babayan, to support any candidate. "And we are glad that Samvel Babayan is supporting Khachik Manukyan in Etchmiadzin," he added.
"We have already stated that we are participating in the elections separately. This position remains unchanged for now. At the same time, we continue and will continue to consult with other opposition forces," Sos Hakobyan noted.
On October 7, in an interview with CivilNet, Samvel Babayan announced the beginning of a political partnership with Artur Vanetsyan, not ruling out Vanetsyan's potential run for prime minister. According to Babayan, he and Vanetsyan will jointly support the nomination of poet and publicist Khachik Manukyan, the Rodina Party candidate, in the upcoming local elections in Etchmiadzin. He noted that the results of these elections will be decisive in determining the format for participation in the 2026 parliamentary elections. Asked whether Vanetsyan's political past, particularly his collaboration with former President Serzh Sargsyan, hinders him, Babayan replied: "I don't think Vanetsyan was the closest or the furthest person for Serzh Sargsyan." Babayan also confirmed that he is not running for the prime minister's post: "I can take a second, third, or even fourth-tier position-for the sake of national unity," he said.
As a reminder, local government elections will be held in the enlarged Vagharshapat community on November 16. Acting mayor Argishti Mekhakyan will lead the ruling Civil Contract party's list for these elections. Grisha Harutyunyan will lead the Mother Armenia party's list. Seval Khachatryan, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the center-right Forward party, also announced his participation in the elections as the head of the Victory bloc.
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