Chairman of the National Democratic Party Shavarsh Kocharian who was censured by the Justice bloc for his refusal to campaign against the government-drafted constitutional amendments announced his withdrawal from Armenia's largest opposition group. He said he will resume participation in Justice activities only if the bloc admits its "mistakes" committed in the run-up to the November 27 constitutional referendum. "We will not rule out the possibility of our participation, if the Justice alliance reviews what it has done and what it has not done and draws appropriate conclusions by admitting its mistakes. They were promising and making the people believe that there will be a revolution on November 27. Now they can nothing but cause personal offence to the authorities," he told a news conference.

Shavarsh Kocharian also told journalists he will participate in the sitting of the PACE Bureau on January 9, 2006, when the draft report on Nagorno Karabakh will be submitted. "I am completing my mission in the PACE January 27," he noted expressing readiness to give some advice to Justice bloc leader Stepan Demirchian, who will replace him at the post. The discrepancies between Kocharian and Justice bloc members emerged over the constitutional referendum. To remind, the NDP was against the boycott of the referendum, reported the International Monitoring Bureau.