Samvel Babayan, the former NKR Defense Minister, noted that he believed that the ruling coalition would maintain their control over Yerevan whatever the outcome of the upcoming municipal elections. "In my opinion, the majority of the votes will be distributed among the various coalition forces sop it makes little sense to speak of who will garner the majority of votes, the Republican Party or the Prosperous Armenia Party. The present coalition will maintain control over the city," stated Mr. Babayan. When asked if he expected any political tension surrounding the election, Mr. Babayan stated that he did not and noted that the ARF still shared areas of cooperation with the coalition. "I don't expect the opposition to garner enough votes to present any serious problem to the government. At most, the opposition will capture 15-20%; not more,” commented Mr. Babayan, adding that it is in the best interest of any government that the opposition has a presence in various government structures, but within limits.