Every MP Receives an Additional 50,000 Drams Monthly: What Does Urikhanyan Propose?

Every member of parliament receives 50,000 drams each month as reimbursement for expenses related to their parliamentary activities. Independent MP Tigran Urikhanyan reminded his colleagues of this from the podium of the National Assembly today, emphasizing that everyone receives the money, but not all engage in parliamentary activities, and not all utilize the funds for their intended purpose.

Therefore, the MP proposed to amend the law on the remuneration of state officials and public service personnel in Armenia to redirect these funds to soldiers who became disabled in the recent Artsakh war. “This amounts to over 79 million drams annually, or around 80 million drams, and certainly, the 114 individuals with first-degree disabilities need it more,” said Urikhanyan, expressing hope that the MPs, who are on the brink of dissolution, would take this moral step.

However, the parliament did not heed their colleague's call. Heriknaz Tigranyan, a member of the Health and Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, announced that the committee had unanimously given a negative conclusion to the proposal. “Our justification was that the purpose pursued by the proposed initiative is outside the frameworks of the law on guarantees of parliamentary activities and the law on the remuneration of state officials and public service personnel,” Tigranyan said.

National Assembly President Ararat Mirzoyan also stated that the National Assembly returned 400 million drams to the state budget in 2020, and in his opinion, funds will also be allocated to participants of the Artsakh war. Following the discussion, the MPs voted against Tigran Urikhanyan's proposed initiative.