Former MP Aghasi Arshakyan today expressed misgivings for his support of ARF nominee Vahan Hovhannisyan’s bid for the presidency in 2008. "I supported the campaign of the ARF nominee because I thought that at the time the ARF leader truly wanted to become president. But I saw that neither the leader nor the party itself was serious in its bid," said MP Arshakyan.

MP Arshakyan stated that the came to this conclusion on the very day of the election back in 2008. He said that besides himself, the only person really doing any work at the ARF campaign headquarters was a young woman on the typewriter. "The ministers were afraid and the MP’s didn’t want to attend any campaign rallies. They were more concerned about maintaining a presidential image than taking part in the nitty-gritty of campaigning." MP Arshakyan says he still believes that Vahan Hovhannisyan would make a worthy candidate for president but that any candidate for the top job in the land must possess the inner drive and passion to win.