Ishkhan Saghatelyan Not Elected: One Vote Short

The National Assembly did not elect opposition "Armenia" faction candidate Ishkhan Saghatelyan as Vice President of the Assembly. Following a secret ballot, head of the Counting Commission Narek Babayan reported that 104 deputies participated in the voting, one ballot was deemed invalid, with 53 votes in favor and 50 against Saghatelyan’s candidacy. To be elected as Vice President of the National Assembly, Saghatelyan needed to receive 54 votes; he fell short by one vote.

Assembly President Alen Simonyan stated that according to the law on the procedure of the National Assembly, if a vice president is not elected, a new election must be held. A vote was held to nominate a candidate from the opposition faction, led by Seyran Ohanyan of the "Armenia" faction. Ohanyan announced that they would again nominate Saghatelyan.

From the ruling Civil Contract party, Vahagn Aleksanyan questioned why one member of the "Armenia" faction did not participate in the election. In response, Seyran Ohanyan stated that all 26 present deputies participated in the voting. He noted that two members of their faction are in custody, while another is absent for a valid reason.

The "Honorary Membership" faction had expressed their support for Saghatelyan’s candidacy. The ruling "Civil Contract" party had also stated that they would ensure the necessary minimum votes for Saghatelyan's election. A candidate for one of the three vice president positions in the National Assembly can only be nominated from among the deputies included in the opposition faction. Currently, the two vice presidents of the Assembly, Ruben Rubinyan and Hakob Arshakyan, are from the ruling party.