 Prime Minister Sarkisian stated that he would not campaign actively for the Republicans, but only tour the country in his official capacity.
Like President Kocharian, a native of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Prime Minister Sarkisian has formed a powerful tandem with Kocharian over the past decade, developing a reputation as the country's second most powerful man. Since his arrival in Yerevan in 1993 from Nagorno-Karabakh, where he commanded the territory's military forces, he has consistently served in government posts. After a second stint as defense minister beginning in 2000, he was named to replace the deceased Prime Minister Andranik Markarian in April 2007. Markarian's sudden death on March 25 also allowed Sarkisian to complete his takeover of the governing Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the presumed election frontrunner of which the late premier was the chairman.
Sarkisian is clearly using the RPA and its grip on many government bodies to ensure the success of his increasingly obvious plans to succeed Kocharian as president. The party's victory in the elections is therefore essential for the realization of this putative scenario. The key question is whether Sarkisian, assuming that he becomes Armenia's next president, is willing to share power with Kocharian. Some local observers see a deepening conflict of interests between the two men. But others say they will manage to cut a mutually acceptable power sharing deal.
Sarkisian's appointment as prime minister should only give him more so-called "administrative resources" to ensure a desired outcome of the elections. Local government chiefs across Armenia, most of them affiliated with the RPA, are notorious for trying to secure the victory of pro-government parties and candidates in their communities through a combination of vote-rigging, vote-buying and voter intimidation. They have done so in close cooperation with wealthy government-connected businessmen holding sway in various parts of the country. The vast majority of those businessmen have pledged allegiance to Sarkisian.
Hence, widespread skepticism persists about RPA assurances that the 2007 elections will be more democratic than in the past. The Armenian opposition considers Sarkisian one of the chief architects of the electoral fraud that has afflicted past elections.
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