April 12, 2011 - 17:18 AMT
Voices of 70000-member Armenian population won't affect outcome of elections in Turkey

It's quite possible for the candidates of Armenian origin to participate in Turkey's parliamentary elections in the capacity of independent deputies, according to Caucasus Institute director.

As Alexander Iskandaryan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, if elected, the parliamentarians of Armenian origin would join some party. ''The voices of the Armenian community, listing 70000 members, in a country with a 70-million population might hardly affect the outcome of the elections. This is why there's no special need for Armenian parliamentarians,'' the political expert noted.

On April 11, the parties participating in Turkey's parliamentary elections had to submit the lists of their candidates. According to media reports, no list contained names of ethnic Armenians.

Earlier, representatives of ruling АКР and oppositional CHP parties mentioned their intention to nominate the candidatures of Armenians.