Edgar Arakelyan from 'My Step' Resigns from Parliamentary Mandate

Edgar Arakelyan, a member of the 'My Step' faction in the National Assembly of Armenia, submitted a written application to resign from his parliamentary mandate today, September 4, 2023. Arakelyan confirmed this in an interview with NEWS.am.

In response to our question, he stated, “I signed the application just three minutes ago.” It is noteworthy that according to the law on 'Regulations of the National Assembly', a parliamentarian can retract their resignation request within a week. “If a parliamentarian retracts their resignation request, the President of the National Assembly will make a statement regarding this. If the resignation request is not retracted, a record of the cessation of their powers will be drafted, which the President of the National Assembly signs and publishes. The resignation is considered accepted from the moment of the publication of the record,” the law specifies.

Earlier, Edgar Arakelyan had stated his intention to resign, saying, “After long deliberations, I have made the decision to resign from my parliamentary mandate. The decision is exclusively mine and is not forced or instigated by anyone. The reasons are purely personal. A person involved in politics must possess the necessary qualities to engage in this activity. I am deeply convinced that I lack several crucial qualities for this, making me incompatible with such work. I apologize to those people, especially my loved ones, who may feel disappointment or other negative emotions because of my decision. I am confident that if I do not take this step now, I will have many reasons to regret it in the future, again related to the aforementioned circumstances.

I would like to emphasize once again that this is a personal decision and not a protest against the potential exploitation of the Amulsar mine, the possible ratification of the Istanbul Convention, or any other process, even if the timing may coincide with these events. This is not in any way a step against 'My Step', of which I have had the honor to be a part in recent months. I advise known forces and their puppets not to get overly excited, as there are no grounds for that.

As an ordinary citizen of the Republic of Armenia, I will continue to support the revolutionary team and the executive and legislative authority they have formed in the difficult path of implementing radical reforms and establishing justice, reinforcing democracy in our country. I will most likely continue to engage in what I was doing before the extraordinary parliamentary elections; I will return to the IT sector, which is so dear and familiar to me, in the world of codes. I am confident that in doing so, I will bring greater benefit to our country.

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