Prosperous Armenia Party chairman Gagik Tsarukian

YEREVAN—The Prosperous Armenia Party, President Serzh Sarkisian’s lead partner in the ruling coalition, announced Thursday that it will not be joining a new government, creating a new political playing field in Armenia.

Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia said it would comment after a meeting of its executive board. Prosperous Armenia, which currently has four ministers, will not be part of the Sarkisian cabinet.

Prosperous Armenia’s decision was announcement through a written statement signed by the party’s chairman businessman Gagig Tsarukian, who said the results of the elections did not give the party “the constitutional capacity to form a government and implement its programs. Because of this, I am officially declaring that the Prosperous Armenia Party does not find it expedient to participate in the formation of the coalition government.”

Tsarukian said that if his party joined the coalition it would not have enough power to make the changes it campaigned for, but promised to play an integral role in Armenia’s political arena.

Prosperous Armenia’s decision to not join the ruling coalition, discussion on whose formation have been ongoing since the May 6 elections, now create a new political playing field in Armenia.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia Representative, Armen Rustamian, called Prosperous Armenia’s decision “an important development,” explaining that based on the laws governing the parliament, the Prosperous Armenia is now an “opposition” party.

“The opportunities for the opposition to counterbalance and to restrain the authorities now increase in the National Assembly,” said Rustamian. “It remains to be seen how the Prosperous Armenia Party will act and that is a matter of practice and tactics.”

“This, of course, isn’t advantageous for the Republican Party of Armenia,” said Rustamian, explaining that with only the Country of Law party as it’s party the ruling coalition barely have 50 percent of the votes.

Rustamian said that the ARF is willing to cooperate with the Prosperous Party of Armenia in parliamentary activities.