Three weeks after extending his power-sharing agreement with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), President Serzh Sarkisian reappointed on Wednesday the three government ministers affiliated with the party.
The corresponding presidential decrees completed the formation of Prime Minister Karapetian’s new cabinet following the April 2 parliamentary elections won by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). All of its members except Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian served in the previous cabinet.
The Dashnaktsutyun-affiliated Education Minister Levon Mkrtchian, Minister for Territorial Administration Davit Lokian and Environment Protection Minister Artsvik Minasian retained their posts in accordance with a new coalition deal that was signed by their party and the HHK on May 11.
A joint declaration adopted by the two parties calls for better governance and “new impetus to the fight against corruption.” Aghvan Vartanian, a Dashnaktsutyun leader who signed the document on behalf of his party, spoke of their “joint resolve to effect radical and qualitative changes” in the country.
Dashnaktsutyun received three ministerial portfolios as well as a number of other senior government posts after reaching a similar power-sharing agreement with Sarkisian’s party in February 2016. The HHK expressed readiness to extend that deal after the April elections in which it won 58 of the 105 parliament seats that were up for grabs. Dashnaktsutyun controls 7 seats in the new National Assembly.
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