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On Monday there were reports that Ararat Zurabyan, chairman of the Board of the Armenian National Movement (ANM), a party that has been the support base for Armenia’s former president and current opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan, had tendered a letter of resignation.

ANM spokesman Karen Karapetyan issued a statement in which he explained that Zurabyan had only offered to put the issue of confidence in him to discussion and that the ANM Board had refused to include the issue on the agenda of its Sunday meeting, this way proving that there was no problem of confidence in the veteran oppositionist.

“At this moment the party’s factual and legal head is Ararat Zurabyan,” said Karapetyan.

Also this week another oppositionist, ANM board member Khachatur Kokobelyan, tendered a letter of resignation raising more questions about cohesion within Ter-Petrosyan’s loyalists.

“Khachatur Kokobelyan had certain differences with the policies of [Ter-Petrosyan’s broader opposition alliance] Armenian National Congress (ANC), which he expressed in public. In particular, always being for an open and transparent policy, Kokobelyan suggested that more concrete and decisive actions come to replace the opposition’s uncertain political tack,” explained the spokesman, adding that Kokobelyan’s resignation was only from the party’s board, and that the board did not discuss it but simply took note of it.

“As for these different rumors about the events, they are likely to be due to the fact that certain people see a serious political rival in Kokobelyan,” added Karapetyan.

Commenting on Kokobelyan’s resignation, ANC coordinator Levon Zurabyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that “what the ANC is doing today enjoys full support of all 18 parties that form it, including the Armenian National Movement.”

“We have had no problem with ANM, nor do we expect to have any,” Zurabyan said, adding that while some member parties had raised questions about ANC’s tactics, ANM was not among them.

But another opposition party’s leader has lamented the differences within the Ter-Petrosyan-led camp.

Stepan Safaryan, the head of the Heritage Party’s parliamentary faction, said about Kokobelyan’s resignation: “I find this resignation strange and regretful. This means that there is a problem, but I don’t want to believe all sorts of talks, because it is indecent to invoke this kind of information before this person has commented on his resignation.”

Meanwhile, the Heritage Party itself is heading for a party convention slated for July 10 during which the party will form its board. The opposition party is also making preparations for the next general elections, in regard to which Safaryan spoke early to allay rumors.

“During the next presidential election, be it a preterm or regular one, Heritage will not have [former foreign minister] Vartan Oskanian as its candidate, is not going to cooperate with the Prosperous Armenia party to contribute to [former president Robert] Kocharyan’s return, nor will Heritage unite with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun),” stressed Safaryan.

Heritage believes that a power change in Armenia is a pressing concern.

The party’s leader Armen Martirosyan said: “I do not see developments as such that could lead to early elections. But I can clearly see the grounds that may lead to early elections. These are human rights violations, the social situation, absence of freedom of speech, the [2008 deadly post-election clashes on] March 1, a number of other unsolved murders, etc.”