Armenia’s internal political life this week has been marked by what appeared to be a reemerging strife within the country’s governing coalition. Two of the three ruling coalition member parties, namely the majority Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and Prosperous Armenia, this time found themselves at odds following sharp criticism voiced by the latter’s leader, tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan, over the government’s economic policies. Tsarukyan, in particular, attacked the Republican-dominated Cabinet’s Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan, saying that “he is not in his place and does not have a command of the country’s economic situation.”

The bickering began late last week when Tsarukyan, a government-connected millionaire businessman and lawmaker, was a guest of a talk show hosted by a popular local TV, Shant. To the request of the show’s anchor to comment on the statements that Armenia has already overcome [the effects of] the global economic recession, Tsarukyan said that the person who makes such statements simply does not know the situation. (The Armenian government has said that Armenia has overcome the crisis.)

On Monday, Tsarukyan repeated his opinion during an ambush interview in the parliament building where he’d come to attend a National Assembly session in his role as an MP. He also criticized the government-submitted package of tax amendments that was passed by lawmakers in the first reading during the previous four-day session.

“We are still going through an economic crisis, the crisis has not ended. Instead of increasing taxes, we should mitigate them, certain laws should be suspended,” stated Tsarukyan, adding that “nobody in the world is saying today that the economic crisis has ended” and that “it is possible that there will be a second phase of the economic crisis.” The statements were a clear jibe at Minister Yeritsyan’s early statement that Armenia has overcome the crisis.

The minister was quick to respond. Through his spokesperson the next day Yeritsyan, then on a visit to Germany, in effect, told Tsarukyan to mind his own business. The minister advised Tsarukyan to “evaluate” the two government ministers belonging to Tsarukyan’s party. (In fact Prosperous Armenia replaced its two ministers in the Cabinet in the past six months for what appeared to be shortcomings in their work. The other coalition party, Orinats Yerkir, also replaced its two ministers this week, but it cited the party’s strategic considerations for the decision and in fact praised the work of its ministers).

To Tsarukyan’s criticism Yeritsyan’s said: “As for my work, it shall be evaluated by the president and prime minister of the Republic of Armenia” in a statement (published even on the Ministry’s website).

The squabble between the leader and the minister then erupted into charges and countercharges on the part of party members.

Prosperous Armenia lawmaker Naira Zohrabyan said that Minister Yeritsyan still has to go a long way to earn the right to advise Gagik Tsarukyan and for her part suggested that the minister tender a letter of resignation. In response, Republican Party of Armenia spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov called on Zohrabyan to stay within the limits of “correctness and ethnics” and know the measure.

Previous manifestations of the strife between the RPA and Prosperous Armenia included the row between Tsarukyan, who is also the President of the National Olympic Committee, and Football Federation President, senior RPA member Ruben Hayrapetyan after Armenia’s national soccer team lost in Turkey last October. Prosperous Armenia also had serious differences with its coalition partners at the Yerevan City Council in November and then the party even considered the possibility of giving up their mandates in the City Council, according to reports.

Despite all this, representatives of the two parties have always tried to downplay the differences and presented them as the display of an atmosphere of healthy criticism and pluralism within the coalition.

Tsarukyan’s press secretary Khachik Galstyan told ArmeniaNow that the matter should be regarded only as ‘healthy criticism’ and that in fact there are no differences between the two parties.

RPA lawmaker Artak Zakaryan, for his part, also confirmed ‘absence of differences’ between the two coalition partners.

“Since day one of our partnership we’ve had differences over numerous issues, however this means that there is pluralism in the coalition format,” said Zakaryan.